Heart Stopping Comeback
by BigTimeRush-BTR
Summary: He was a memory of the past – someone Kendall Knight had tried so hard to forget. But when Kendall's past comes back to haunt him, will Logan, Carlos, and James be able to save him before it is too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys. Not sure how many of you saw, but I put up an author's note on what was supposed to be the tenth chapter of _Heart Stopping Comeback_ , saying that I was going to be rewriting the whole story. This is the first chapter. It's quite... different from what I had initially written. My goal is to make it better, so hopefully I did a good job. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

He didn't know how it happened. One minute, he was making his way towards the pool to relax. The next, he was frozen on the spot, right in the middle of the lobby, because of the sight that had met him once he had exited the elevator. It was a sight that caused his heartbeat to quicken, and his mind to be sent into overdrive. A flurry of emotions took over him, but the one that stood out the most of all to him, was fear. Fear because his father, Kenneth Knight, was standing right in front of Bitters' desk, when he should have been locked up in jail. Fear because the one person who had the power to make him absolutely vulnerable and terrified, was standing just a few meters away from him.

Everything seemed to come to a stop in that moment. He was left paralyzed; feet glued to the carpeted floor. It wasn't until his father turned in his direction—two pairs of green eyes meeting—that his mind finally seemed to communicate with his body. He fled from the lobby in a rush, not even bothering to wait for an elevator. Instead, he took the stairs two at a time, fear coursing through his entire body. All he wanted was to get to his apartment and never see that monster again, but he knew that the chances of that happening were very unlikely.

He didn't know what his father was doing at the Palm Woods, but having known him, he knew that whatever it was, it wasn't good. It wasn't good at all.

"Hey, Kendall, what are you—"

Kendall crashed into James almost as soon as he arrived at his sanctuary. Both boys went falling to the floor in a heap; the blond on top of the brunette. James gently pushed him off of him, gripping him by his shoulders as he took in the state the younger boy was in. He was shaking uncontrollably, tears swimming in his eyes.

"Kendall? Ken, what's the matter?"

Kendall opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He didn't get the chance to calm down and tell James what had happened, since just seconds later, a loud knock echoed through the living room. The shorter boy pushed James away and ran to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Confused and worried, James got up and made his way to the front door, figuring he might as well see who had arrived. He would find out what was wrong with Kendall as soon as he got the chance. But what he wasn't expecting, was to be met with a man who looked like the older version of Kendall, once he had opened the door.

"Hello," the older male said, extending his arm forward, as if expecting for James to shake his hand. James gave him a confused look, hesitantly shaking his hand. In the back of his mind, he had this thought that it was Kendall's dad who was standing before him. The thing was, that after everything he had put Kendall through, Kenneth should not have been released from jail yet—he should have been rotting in a cell for all the pain he had put him through. After all, that is what he deserved.

"Is Kendall Knight here? I need to speak with him."

"Who are you?" James questioned, needing to know if he was right. If he was really Kendall's father, there was no way he would allow him anywhere near him. Then it hit him—he must have been the reason the dirty blond was so scared just minutes before.

"I'm Kenneth, Kendall's—"

"Don't even say it."

Two heads turned around as Carlos' voice interrupted Kenneth in mid-sentence. The shorter boy was standing in the middle of the living room, frown upon his face. He made his way to stand besides James and glared at the taller man standing in front of them.

"You are not and will _never_ be Kendall's father. You had your chance, but you lost it. You're not welcome here."

"You really think someone like you is going to tell _me_ what to do?" Before either of the two boys could react, Kenneth had pushed Carlos back, which made James mad.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You can't just come in here and demand to see Kendall like this. Like Carlos clearly stated, you're no longer a father figure to him. You lost that title when you laid a hand on him. Now, get _out_." He was seeing red. Now that he knew for sure that it was Kendall's father who they were dealing with, he would not allow him to be anywhere near Kendall—not if he could help it. He had hurt Kendall, both physically and mentally; scarred him for life. What kind of father did that to their own child?

Kenneth sent a glare in his direction, before opening his mouth to speak once more. "This is not the last you'll see of me," he warned as he turned around and left, leaving both James and Carlos confused and afraid of what he would do.

Carlos turned to James, fear clear in his eyes. "We can't let him go anywhere near Kendall," he said, to which James shook his head.

"No... we cannot."

* * *

 _Meanwhile:_

Kendall ran to his room, tripping over his own feet on the way there. He didn't wait for James to open the door, fearing what would be on the other side. Instead, he shut his bedroom door behind him and let his back slide against the hard wood, trying his best to catch his breath and keep himself calm.

"Dude, are you alright?"

Logan's voice caused the dirty blond to jump, not expecting him to be there. He turned to the shorter brunette with a fearful expression and shook his head from side to side.

"I'm..." Again, no words came out. He pulled his knees to his chest and watched as Logan got up from where he was sitting on his bed, and walked towards him.

"Hey," Logan kneeled down in front of Kendall, laying a hand on his shoulder, "what's wrong? Did something happen?" He grew worried for the taller boy, not being used to seeing him so scared and upset.

"H-He... He's b-back," Kendall stuttered as tears started to roll down his face. "I can't do this again... I can't."

"Who's back?" Logan asked, clearly confused. He could hear the muffled sound of voices coming from outside the bedroom, but he paid no attention to them. His main priority in that moment was Kendall, and seeing what it was that had him so upset.

"My d-d-dad," Kendall whispered. The tremors that shook his body only seemed to intensify as each second passed by.

"But... he can't be. Your dad is in jail. Where would you get an idea like that one?" the brunette asked cautiously, frowning not only at the news, but also because Kendall looked absolutely terrified.

"I saw him in the lobby... And someone just knocked on the door, that's why I came running in here... I'm sure it's him... He s-saw me." The tears started to roll down Kendall's cheeks at a faster pace. Not knowing what to do, Logan pulled him into a hug and started to rub circles against the boy's quivering back, attempting to calm him down.

"It's gonna be okay. If it is him who's here, James and Carlos won't let him come anywhere near you, and neither will I. You're safe, alright?" He tangled his fingers in Kendall's blond locks, feeling the younger boy cling to him as he sobbed into his chest.

"I'm s-so scared," Kendall admitted, his face still buried against Logan's t-shirt. "H-He's not supposed to be here..."

"No, he's not, and we'll find a way to get him out of here. But, for now, trust me when I say you're safe. He's not going to hurt you again, I promise you that."

The voices coming from outside the bedroom rose in volume. Logan frowned, wanting to know what it was that was happening out there. It wasn't long before the yelling stopped and someone knocked on their door. Kendall clung to Logan even more so, afraid of who would be standing there.

"Guys, it's me," James said from the other side. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, wait up." Logan helped Kendall to move out of the way, then told James he could come in. The taller brunette cautiously opened the door and walked inside, followed closely behind by Carlos. The two boys took in the sight in front of them and their hearts broke.

Carlos was the first one to kneel down and take Kendall's face in between his hands. "Hey," he whispered, wiping away the tears rolling down the boy's face. "Ken, listen to me, he's gone."

"F-For now."

"He's not going to come anywhere near you. We won't let him."

"Carlos is right, Kendall," James said, taking a seat beside the little Latino. "He'll have to walk over our dead bodies in order to get to you."

"I-I know... I'm just so scared," he said in a low whisper, wishing this would all just be a horrible nightmare. And it _was_ a nightmare, but this nightmare was real. There was no getting out. He couldn't just wake up and escape it, like he wished he could.

"It's gonna be okay." James pulled both Kendall and Logan into a hug, resting his chin on top of Kendall's head. "Everything's gonna be alright."

Kendall didn't respond, but rather closed his eyes, feeling Carlos join in on the hug as well. There were no words to explain how emotionally exhausted he was in that moment. All he wanted was to forget and leave his father behind, but it seemed like the odds were against him.

 _I hope you're right_ , he thought, as he was engulfed by words of comfort and by exhaustion, all at once.

* * *

 **What did you all think? Did you like it? Hate it? Hope you guys liked it. Thanks for reading.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. I'm sorry it took me so long to write this... I hope you all like it. I tried to give the boys' an equal amount of attention, but I probably didn't include Logan as much as the other two (at least, it feels like I didn't). Either way, I hope you like it. :)**

 **P.S. You're all gonna hate me towards the end.**

* * *

A soft sigh escaped James' lips as he felt Kendall's body go completely limp in his hold. Carlos and Logan watched the two from where they were sitting in front of them on the floor, eyes filled with worry for their younger friend. It had taken a while to calm him down, and even when they had managed to do so, the tears didn't stop falling. It was a rare sight; very unlike the strong demeanor Kendall showed on a daily basis. This was a side of Kendall that they rarely saw, and one that they hated to see. He was always seen as the strong one, the leader, the one who guided them through dark times and helped them up when they got knocked down.

But this Kendall? This wasn't the Kendall they were used to. He was vulnerable, afraid, and in need of comfort and protection, and it scared all three of them knowing that Kendall's father could reduce him to this.

"I'm so worried," Carlos whispered, quietly, as to not awaken the sleeping blond.

"So am I," James whispered back, bringing Kendall closer in a careful manner, fearing what would happen if he were to stir him out of his sleep.

Beside him, Logan brought his knees up to his chest and hid his face against them, wanting more than anything to wake up and find out that this was all some sort of nightmare. James noticed this and nodded his head in Logan's direction, catching Carlos' attention. The shorter Latino nodded and scooted closer to the brunette, letting a hand rest against his shoulder.

"Let's go to the living room, okay?" Carlos said softly, watching as Logan's eyes filled up with unshed tears. "James will look after Kendall. We'll just be right outside the door," he added when Logan shook his head vigorously in response.

"O-Okay." In shaky legs, the slightly taller boy got up and followed Carlos towards the door, but not before looking back and making sure James would be okay.

"Go," James urged him. That was enough for Logan to follow Carlos and close the door behind them.

"Why did you want to get out of there?" Logan asked Carlos as soon as the two were out of earshot. He kept his eyes down and away from meeting Carlos' eyes. The shorter boy didn't respond right away. Instead, he grabbed Logan by the wrist and guided him to the neon orange couch in the living room, pushing him to sit on it once they were there.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked, taking a seat beside his friend. Logan looked down at his hands, which he was moving nervously, his gaze still not meeting Carlos'.

"You didn't answer my question," Logan said bluntly, raising his head but staring forward.

" _No_ ," Carlos stated firmly, " _you_ didn't answer _my_ question."

"Carlos, I'm... I'm fine. I'm just worried, that's all. I don't like seeing Kendall like this... I hate it," he said quietly, looking down again. "I thought this was over with. I thought that bastard wouldn't come back into his life again." He bit down on his bottom lip in a futile attempt to keep the tears at bay. "I don't want to go through what we went through back then one more time. I don't want _him_ to experience that again."

"I know." Carlos wrapped his right arm around Logan's shoulders, pulling him close. "It'll be okay. Kendall's strong, he'll get—"

"No." Logan pulled away from Carlos' hold, turning to him with an upset look. "I _know_ that Kendall is strong, I know that. But Kendall's not a superhero. I know we, us three, we like to pretend that he is, because he puts up this bravado all the time. But you saw him in there..." His voice faltered as more tears began to gather in his eyes. "He's not a superhero, Carlos. He may be strong, but even the strong break sometimes," he said softly.

Carlos stayed silent, allowing Logan's words to sink in. Minutes seemed to tick by, but in reality, it was only seconds, until he turned to Logan solemnly.

"I'm not stupid, Logan," he said in an almost inaudible voice. He tried hard to keep the tears from falling, but just like Logan, he failed to do so. "I may be naive, but I'm not stupid."

"Carlos, that's not what—"

"No, I know. But do you really think I don't know any of that? I've seen Kendall break down—we have all seen him at his worst. It may have been a long time ago, but it happened. No matter how long ago it was, we can't deny that it did."

Logan remained silent at the next words that spilled from Carlos' lips.

"You know, as a kid, I used to always look up to him. Heck, I still do." Logan wanted to interrupt and say that he already knew this, but he remained quiet. "He was always the one to fight off the bullies, the protector, the voice of reason... Then, things started to change, right before you became a part of our little group. He started becoming more distant. I remember him coming to school with bruises all over his body, and when confronted about them, he would make up some random excuse to cover them up. Even then, when he was obviously hurting, he still continued to look after me and James, and soon, you as well."

Carlos let out a sob, and Logan tried to pull him close, but Carlos shook away from his grasp.

"And then... then we found out about what happened, and everything started to make sense. Everything kind of... came crashing down. Suddenly, Kendall wasn't Kendall anymore. He was a frightened, emotionally and physically hurt, little boy, and I... I couldn't do anything to stop it."

Logan pulled Carlos close, and this time he didn't try to fight him. He collapsed against Logan's body, tears spilling from his eyes and down his cheeks at a rapid pace.

"S-So I tell myself t-that Kendall is strong, because it's my way of telling myself that things will be okay... even if I don't even believe it myself..."

"Carlos," Logan started softly, fingers carding through black tufts of hair, "none of this is your fault, 'Los, and I need you to do your best to start believing it. No one ever imagines that a parent would ever hurt their child in such a way, so you couldn't have known. We were only eight, too young to understand that, much less to come up with such a conclusion and figure it out ourselves."

"I just wish he h-hadn't come back," Carlos said brokenly.

"Me too, but now that he has, we gotta try our best to keep Kendall safe, and find a way to get him out of the Palm Woods and as far away from him as possible." He didn't even wait for a response, pulling Carlos up to his feet, but keeping him close.

"I came here to help you, and you ended up being the one to knock some sense into me," Carlos said. "I'm such a big help."

"You _are_ ," Logan assured him. "You might think that you're not, but you are. Now, what do you say we cook dinner, that way Kendall has something to eat when he wakes up, and we can get our minds off of this?"

Carlos gave him a small nod in response, the tiniest of smiles forming on his lips.

"Good." Logan smiled, giving him a pat on the shoulder, and they both headed to the kitchen in search of something to make for the four of them.

* * *

James watched as Logan and Carlos left the room, knowing fully well that they both needed to get away from the confined space. He turned his attention back to the blond in his arms, who at first glance looked peaceful as he slept, but there was no way of telling what was going on in the inside.

He felt the smaller boy shift in his hold, burying his face against the crook of James' neck. How he wished that he could stay that way forever—pain-free, at peace (at least, he hoped), and away from harm's way.

"I'm not going to let him hurt you," he whispered, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the boy's dark blond hair. "We won't." That was a promise he intended to keep, despite knowing that Kendall hadn't heard him.

Anyone who really knew James, knew that just like Kendall, he was protective of his best friends. He wasn't selfish, self-centered, or arrogant, and that's what many thought because of his confident personality. Those three boys meant the absolute world to him, and he would do anything to keep them all safe. They were his brothers, perhaps not by blood, but he loved them just as much. As long as he could help it, Kendall's so-called father wouldn't come anywhere near him.

Carefully, the tall brunette balanced the other boy in his arms and got up from the floor. He lowered him to his bed and tucked him in, making sure that he was still fast asleep, before slipping out of the room to go check on Carlos and Logan.

"Carlos, give me that!"

James watched as Logan attempted to take a box of corndogs away from the shorter boy's hands.

"But I wanted to make corndogs!"

"You had corndogs yesterday!"

"Yes... But I LOVE corndogs!"

Logan shook his head, grabbing the box, making Carlos pout. It was a sight that would usually make James laugh, but at that moment, it didn't seem to do the trick.

"Guys?" James made his way towards them, stopping right in front of them. "Are you guys alright?"

"We're fine... We talked things out. Are you okay?" Logan questioned him, taking notice of the broken expression on the usually cheerful boy's face.

"Yeah..."

Logan turned to Carlos, and Carlos to Logan, before the two stepped closer to the taller boy and enveloped him in a hug.

"It'll be okay, James," Logan said softly.

"But, what if... What if it's not?"

"Hey," Carlos pulled away, looking him in the eye, "what would Kendall say if he was here?" James didn't have to think long before coming up with an answer.

"That things will be okay, as long as we stick together," he responded, a small smile coming to his face. Logan and Carlos smiled at his words.

"Exactly. Kendall will be fine, everyone and everything will be fine, but we gotta look out for each other, just like we always do."

James opened his mouth to respond, but before he could do so, a loud crash came from Logan and Kendall's room. The three boys turned to each other briefly, and then rushed towards the door, only to be met by a sight that tore their hearts in two.

* * *

 **I promise that whatever happened is not as bad as it sounds... maybe. Did you guys like it? Hate it? Feedback would be very much appreciated. :) Also, thank you for the reviews on the last chapter! I'll try to have the next one up soon.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, I actually really like how this story's turning out, and I've received nothing but positive feedback. I'm glad you guys are liking the story so far, and I want to thank you all for the support. It means more than I can put into words. :) Hope you guys like this chapter... Warning for swearing and physical abuse.**

* * *

 _"Kendall, where are you? You know you can't hide from me, right? I'll find you. I always do."_

 _Kendall ran towards his bedroom door as quietly as he could, closing the door shut and locking it, hoping that it would prevent his father from walking into the room. Trying not to panic (but failing miserably), he rushed to his closet and crawled inside, successfully hiding behind all his clothes._

 _The only sound he could hear at that moment was that of his labored breathing and the faint sound of his heart beating at a rapid pace against his chest. Part of him wanted to get out of there, because the confined space was making him even more anxious, and he was sure that he was in the brink of having a panic attack. However, he couldn't risk his dad finding him. He was absolutely terrified of him._

 _The sound of the bedroom door handle being shaken, startled him out of his thoughts. He held his breath, panic starting to build up inside him._

 _"Are you in there, you dirty brat?"_

 _Kendall couldn't help the tears that started to fill his eyes at his father's words. From where he sat in the closet, he could hear the man's desperate attempts to open the door, but suddenly, everything went silent. The silence didn't last long, though, for a crash soon followed, and only seconds later, the closet door was being yanked open, revealing a very red-faced, furious Mr. Knight._

 _"You little—"_

 _"Please don't hurt me, daddy! Please..." Kendall cried out, the tears now falling from his eyes and making his vision blurry. "I'll do better, I promise..."_

 _In one swift motion, Kenneth reached forward and grabbed the small 7-year-old by his arm, harshly pulling him out of the closet. Kendall fell to the floor with a thud, sobbing loudly, the panic now taking over completely._

 _"You can do better than a C. What did I tell you would happen if you got anything lower than a B?" the older male questioned as he took the boy by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground quite easily._

 _"T-That I w-would regret i-it..." the blond hiccuped, shaking uncontrollably from fear. "I-I-I'm so sorry!"_

 _"Oh, you **will** be sorry," the older man snarled as he started to shake Kendall vigorously, proceeding to throw him on the bed. "Take off your shirt."_

 _"N-No!" Kendall started hyperventilating—air didn't seem to fill his lungs. Everything seemed to be closing in on him. His words only made his father even more upset. He raised his hand and slapped Kendall's cheek, earning a scream from the little boy._

 _"I said **take off your shirt**."_

 _When Kendall made no move to do as he was being told, his father forced him out of it, then reaching for his own belt, which he raised in the air, ready to hit him with it._

 _"Next time, you better fucking listen to me," he said through gritted teeth, before pulling his arm back and then forward, the belt making contact with the boy's skin. With each hit, Kendall curled up into a tinier ball, wishing he could just vanish and never be put through anything like this again._

 _The pain eventually became so unbearable, that he felt like he was about to succumb into unconsciousness. Then..._

* * *

With a gasp, Kendall shot up in bed, doing his best to catch his breath. His chest moved up and down rapidly, everything around him caving in on him. Actual tears of fear and frustration welled up in his green eyes. He pulled at his hair, rocking back and forth on the mattress, his head between his knees.

His phone started to buzz all of a sudden, indicating that he had an incoming call. He grasped the small device with trembling fingers, trying to read who it was from through his tears. No number, no known name lit up on the screen—the only words present on the screen were 'Private Call.'

"H-Hello?" he answered, not knowing what to expect.

 _"So nice to hear your voice again, Kendall. Did you miss me?"_

Kendall's breathing started to speed up once more, his whole body shaking uncontrollably from head to toe. In a frantic state of panic, he tossed the cell phone to the other side of the room, watching it crash against the wall and down to the floor.

"No no no no..."

The door to his bedroom all of a sudden flew open, making him jump in surprise.

"Kendall? Kendall, what's wrong?" He could hear James' voice calling his name, but he sounded distant. A feeling of dizziness overtook his body—nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He could barely breathe, much less respond to his friend's panicking voice.

"Logan, what's going on?" James asked frantically, turning to the smaller brunette.

Logan rushed to Kendall's side, not giving James an answer. "Kendall, can you hear me?" he questioned the younger teen, who seemed unfocused and like he was not completely there. "Kendall, it's Logan... Logan, Carlos, and James. Can you hear me, buddy? You're safe, Kendall. You're okay," he said in the most calming voice he could muster.

"H-He's everywhere," Kendall stuttered out, the tears continuing to spill from his eyes. "Make him go away, please..."

"Kendall, he's not here. What happened? Did you have a nightmare?" Logan questioned the emotionally drained teen, who nodded his head in response. "It was only a nightmare, Ken. He's not going to touch you again—"

"Um, guys," Carlos interrupted, his eyes on the phone that lay on the floor a few feet away. "Why's his phone on the floor?" He walked towards it and lifted it off the ground, to find that the screen was completely shattered. "Did you do this?" he asked, turning to Kendall, who nodded hesitantly.

"Why?" Logan asked, confusion clear in his voice.

"B-Because."

"Because? Because why?" This time it was James who walked forward and sat down on the edge of the bed, wrapping an arm around Kendall's shoulders. "What happened, Kendall?"

The blond blinked back incoming tears, his gaze turning to his lap. "H-He called. He somehow g-got my number and called."

James clenched his jaw, his hands forming into fists. "I'm going to kill him." He stood up, but was stopped by Carlos, who pushed him back down.

"You're not going anywhere. Hurting him isn't going to do anything, James."

"He deserves it, that fucking bastard. How dare he?"

"James..." It was Kendall's voice that made the brunette turn around and relax, even if only a bit. "Please don't. He'll hurt you... I don't want him to hurt you," Kendall said softly, gripping James' wrist in case he tried to go after his father.

"I won't," James said, his eyes locked with Kendall's, "but that doesn't change the fact that I want to rip his face off and feed it to a dog."

"Did you answer his call?" Logan asked, making Kendall turn in his direction. All eyes were on Kendall at that point.

"M-Maybe, but I didn't mean to. There was no name, no number. I didn't know it was him, until I answered the phone."

"What did he say?"

"He just said it was nice to hear from me again a-and asked if I missed him. T-That's when I threw my phone. I-I didn't want to listen to him."

"It'll be okay," James said, bringing Kendall close by wrapping his arm around his waist. "We'll find out how he got your number, okay? We'll get him out of here."

"How?"

"We'll find a way," the taller boy promised, rubbing a hand up and down Kendall's arm. "He'll soon be gone and away from you and everybody else here, you'll see."

"Please... Just make this nightmare end... I don't want to hear him, I don't want to s-see him. I can't..."

"Shh." James pulled away from Kendall as Logan wrapped his arms around the rambling teen, his head resting against Kendall's shoulder. "It'll be okay. We'll protect you. We will always protect you, just like you've always protected us."

* * *

 **Did you guys like it? I hope you did. If there's anything that you think I can improve on, or anything you'd like to see, let me know, and I'll try to incorporate it into the story. Thanks for reading! :)**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, after rewriting this chapter several times, I finally got it done. It's not as well-written as I'd hoped, but hopefully it's okay. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Hey buddy, you hungry?" Logan asked as he stood in the doorway of his and Kendall's bedroom. The dirty blond was sitting on his bed, hands resting on his lap and eyes cast down. The boys had all agreed to leave him alone for a couple of hours, after he had asked them for some time to himself, but it was now almost nine at night, and Logan was getting really worried.

"Hm?" Kendall looked up at the sound of Logan's voice, not having heard what the brunette had said, due to the thoughts that were clogging his mind at that moment.

"I asked if you were hungry. You haven't eaten all day, and there's some macaroni in the stove if you are."

"I'm not really hungry, Logie. You go ahead and eat."

"Kendall..." Logan sighed as he watched Kendall's gaze turn away from him and towards the window on the other side of the room. He made his way towards Kendall's bed and took a seat on the edge, his shoulder grazing the younger boy's. "You need to eat, you can't do this to yourself. I know this whole situation must be terrifying for you, but not eating and not taking care of yourself isn't going to help in any way."

"I can't eat when I'm this upset. I can't get him off my mind," Kendall said softly as he turned to Logan once more. "I'm just so tired. I never thought he would come back..." Without warning, he let his head rest against Logan's shoulder, tears threatening to spill from his eyes at any moment. "You have no idea how terrified I am of him. It was bad enough having him in my life once. Twice is too much."

Logan wrapped an arm around Kendall's shoulders, pulling him close. Closing his eyes, Kendall allowed the tears to fall, no longer caring if it felt like it was the umpteenth time he cried that day. "It'll be alright, you'll see."

"I don't know. Everyone keeps saying that, but I just don't know. Honestly, I don't even want to think about it. I just want to sleep and wake up to find that all of this was just some stupid nightmare. But it's not going to happen, so why bother?"

Logan sighed as he tangled his fingers in between Kendall's dirty blond hair. "This will soon be over, but until it is, I'm bringing you some food, and you need to eat it, okay?" Defeated and knowing that Logan wouldn't take "no" for an answer, the younger boy nodded as Logan slowly pulled away. "Good. I'll be right back."

Kendall watched him leave with a solemn look on his face. He appreciated how much the boys cared for him, but sometimes it just became too much. He was used to being independent, the leader, and the one who helped everybody else pull through when faced with tough situations. What he wasn't used to, was being treated in that same way. He wasn't used to being seen as someone who needed protection, or as being vulnerable, and he feared that that's how the boys would see him, if they didn't already.

"Here," Logan said, reappearing and handing Kendall a plate with macaroni and chicken strips on it. "Please at least try to eat most of it, okay?" Kendall nodded, but he made no move to eat any of it. Instead, he turned to Logan, frown on his face.

"Can I... Can I ask you a question?" he asked nervously. Seeing the nervous look on the boy's face, Logan nodded and took a seat in front of him, giving him a small smile as a sign to continue. "I was just wondering... Y-You don't think any less of me, right...? For breaking down, I mean. Because... I don't want you to, and I don't want James and Carlos to look at me differently either. I know it's stupid, but..."

"It's not stupid. We would never look at you differently or think any less of you. You're still Kendall. All of this... it doesn't change anything, and it certainly does not change who you are. So don't worry about that, alright?"

Kendall forced a small smile but didn't look up to meet Logan's eyes. "It's hard not to worry, you know. I shouldn't be hiding from... him. I'm sixteen, I'm not a kid anymore. I should be able to face my fears."

"Kendall... Whether you realize this or not, you are still young, and I know all of this is scary for you. Even if you were older, you would not be expected to face him after what he did to you. He physically and verbally abused you. That is not something that you can just brush off."

"He... He didn't just physically and verbally abuse me," Kendall said, turning to look out the window. "H-He, um..."

Logan's heart started beating faster, fearing what Kendall would say next.

Tears started to gather in Kendall's eyes once more, but he did his best to hold them back. He placed the plate Logan had given him on top of his nightstand, and then turned to Logan, unable to hold the tears back any longer. "H-He did things to me that I can't say, that I can't bring myself to say out loud. When I saw him in the lobby, I-I felt like everything had come crumbling down, and I couldn't breathe. Him coming back was what I feared the most, and now... it came true."

"Hey." Logan reached forward and pushed Kendall's chin up, so that they were looking eye to eye. "We're in this together, all of us. He might have hurt you, but that does not mean that you're alone in this," the brunette said softly.

"It feels like it."

"I know, but it's not true."

"I just don't know what to do. I feel so... helpless," the blond admitted. Logan pulled him into a hug, and that is when Kendall broke down completely, winding his arms around Logan's torso and clinging onto him for dear life.

"We stick together," Logan whispered. "We look out for each other and protect one another, because that is what brothers do. You know how you've mentioned before, that as long as we stick together, nothing can stop us?" Kendall only nodded into the crook of the brunette's neck, not trusting his voice. "Well, it's true. Together, we can do anything and everything. So don't give up, okay?"

"O-Okay."

Logan smiled and pulled away, taking the plate Kendall had left on his nightstand, into his hands. "I'm not going to make you eat, but if you don't eat right now, you have to promise me you'll eat in the morning."

"I promise," Kendall said in a quiet voice as he laid back down on the bed, watching as Logan left the room once more. When he returned, he headed towards his bed, but stopped when Kendall called his name.

"Would you mind... sleeping with me tonight?" he asked, his cheeks turning a rosy pink. Logan smiled and made his way to Kendall's bedside.

"Of course not," he said, pulling back the covers and lying down. Smiling, Kendall curled up next to him, his head just beneath Logan's chin. "Goodnight, buddy," the older boy whispered as he wrapped an arm around the taller boy. "I love you."

"I love you too," Kendall whispered, his eyes drifting shut.

* * *

 **That was kind of just a filler chapter. More stuff is going to happen later on, and a long of angst is to come. What did you guys think? Like it? Hate it? Anything I can improve on? Thanks for reading.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter's kind of uneventful as well, but... I'm planning something for the next one, that will hopefully be more interesting. Hope you guys like it.**

* * *

"So, how do you think he got Kendall's number?"

It was just a few minutes past eight in the morning. Logan had awoken to find Kendall still sleeping soundly by his side, so he'd quietly slipped out of the room and made his way towards the kitchen, where he found that James was already awake, making a pot of coffee.

"I have no idea," the brunette said in a tired voice. He watched the coffee pot for a few seconds and then turned towards Logan and took a seat beside him on one of the bar stools, letting his head fall into his hands. "Maybe someone gave it to him? Maybe Bitters did? I don't know, Logan."

"Well, if someone did give it to him, I think we should find out who it is. It's not right. Kendall's so afraid... You should have seen him last night," Logan practically whispered, afraid that the dirty blond would somehow hear him.

"What do you mean?" James asked him, not having known what had happened the night before. He raised his head and looked at Logan, his eyes curious, yet at the same time filled with worry.

Logan sighed as he thought back to the events of the night before. "He was... different."

James frowned. "You're going to have to be a little bit more specific, because I'm not really sure what you mean by that."

"He just wasn't Kendall," Logan said quietly. "He just... reminded me so much of how he used to act back when he was younger and his idiot of a father was around. He's so scared of him. I know he was hurt a lot by what happened, but... I feel like there's something he isn't telling us."

"Something like what?"

Logan looked up at James, biting his lip nervously. He looked down at his hands and refused to make eye contact with him as he let the next few words slip from his lips. "Well... we were talking, and... h-he mentioned that his father didn't just physically and verbally abuse him," he said, facing James to see his reaction, but the younger boy seemed confused by his words.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he might've, um... you know."

Logan's eyes filled with unshed tears as James' expression changed from one of confusion to one of shock. "Wait... You think his dad...? But... no."

"He implied it," Logan whispered. "I didn't want to question him any further, because I didn't want to upset him any more than he already was. But if he did do what I think he did, then he got away way too easily. Even if he didn't, he still deserved a lot more jail time. I don't know what he's doing out of jail. None of this makes any sense."

"You don't know how tempted I am to walk up to his apartment and beat the living daylights out of him," James said, his eyes filling with anger and sadness. "How could he hurt him like that? How could he beat him up, verbally abuse him, emotionally scar him, and do who-knows-what else to him, and expect Kendall to want anything to do with him again?"

"Because maybe I deserved it..."

Logan and James both turned around to face Kendall, who was standing just a few feet away.

"Kendall..." James stood up from his seat, Logan following closely behind him. Kendall looked away, his green eyes diverting to the floor as James hesitantly wrapped his arms around him and brought him close. "You did nothing to deserve any of this. None of this is your fault."

Logan watched as Kendall awkwardly wrapped his arms around James' torso, burying his face against the older boy's shoulder. His eyes were sad, dull, and scared, and Logan hated it. He wished that he could take Kendall's pain away more than anything.

"Then why did he do it?" Kendall mumbled. "Why did h-he hurt me if I didn't deserve it? I must've done something..."

Logan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the two younger boys, his eyes filling with worry. Kendall looked absolutely heartbroken and lost.

"Because your dad doesn't care who he hurts. No parent should ever hurt their own children in the way that your dad hurt you. But just because he did, it does not make it your fault. He is the one to blame for his actions—never has it been you."

Kendall closed his eyes, a soft sigh slipping past his lips as he pulled away from his two best friends and moved to sit on the neon orange couch in the living room. "That's what I want to believe," he said quietly. "Maybe deep down I know I never asked for any of this, but when I was little, he'd... repeatedly tell me it was my fault. So, it's kind of hard to forget that."

James sent one last glance in Kendall's direction before going to turn off the coffee pot. Logan, in the other hand, took a seat beside the blond and took a hold of his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It's gonna be okay," Logan said softly. Kendall only managed a nod in response.

"Morning guys." Before anyone could even respond, Carlos had plopped himself down on the couch, his legs positioned where his back was supposed to be, while his head hung over the edge. He frowned when he took notice of the saddened expression that both Kendall and Logan had on their faces. "Did I miss something?" he asked, watching Kendall for a few seconds, and then turning in Logan's direction. "Logan?"

"No, Litos, you didn't. We were just talking. We should probably make breakfast." Before Carlos could question him any further, Logan stood up and made his way towards the kitchen. "What do you guys want for breakfast?"

Carlos shrugged. "Anything's good with me."

Logan then turned to Kendall. "Ken, what do you want to eat?" The taller boy's only response was a shrug of his shoulders. Logan sighed as he turned to James. "James?"

"I don't know," James said as he stirred his coffee and then placed it on the counter. "Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast?" he suggested.

"That okay with you two?" Logan asked, turning to Carlos and Kendall. The two boys nodded in response.

Doing his best to ignore the feeling of exhaustion that threatened to knock him over at any minute, Logan started making breakfast. He could feel James' eyes burning into the side of his skull as he stood in front of the stove. He was going to question him, when James walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay? No offense, but you don't look so good."

"I'm fine."

"Logan..."

Logan sighed as he finally looked up at James. "Can we talk about this later, please?" he whispered, watching Kendall and Carlos from the corner of his eye. The two boys were talking—well, mostly Carlos was talking. He couldn't help but smile a little as a smile appeared on Kendall's face when Carlos leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

James looked hesitant to drop the subject, but one look at Logan's eyes, and he decided to let it go for the time being. "Alright, but we're talking about it later, okay?"

Logan gave him a slight nod as he turned to grab some plates. "Okay."

* * *

"Um, so I think I'm going to go down to the lobby and see if I can find out who gave that bastard Kendall's number," James whispered to Logan once they had finished eating. "Do you wanna come along?"

"Yeah, I don't want you going by yourself, knowing he's around... It doesn't seem safe." Logan said before going over to Carlos, who was surfing the channels with Kendall by his side. "Guys, James and I will be right back."

"Where are you going?" Kendall asked suspiciously.

Logan turned back to James, who gave him a silent nod. "We just need to figure out how your dad got your number, that's all."

"Guys... no. I don't want you going out there alone," the blond said, his protective side coming out. "I'll go with you."

"You are not going anywhere. You are staying here with Carlos," James said as he approached the group and pushed Kendall back into the couch. "We'll be fine, we'll be careful. Plus, we'll have our cellphones with us just in case."

"You promise to call if anything happens?" Kendall asked, his eyes filling with worry for his two best friends. He might have been afraid of his father, but he cared way more about his friends than he did about himself. If putting his safety at risk was what it took to keep them safe, then he'd do it in a heartbeat.

"We promise," Logan said reassuringly.

Kendall could only watch as the two boys walked out of the apartment, but he couldn't stop the feeling of panic and concern that seemed to completely take over him.

He had a really bad feeling about this.

* * *

 **Was that okay? I hope it was. Thank you for reading. :)**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. So, this chapter is kind of bittersweet, I guess you could say. I tried to put a bit of humor into it, but I suck at humor, so it probably won't be funny, just not as angsty... until... Well, you'll see. Hope you guys like it. :)**

* * *

"Everything will be okay, buddy, I promise," Carlos said reassuringly, draping an arm around Kendall's shoulders and pulling him closer against his side. The dirty blond let out a small sigh and let his head fall onto the smaller boy's shoulder, taking comfort in the warmth and reassurance his older friend provided.

"I really hope you're right. I just don't like knowing they're out there, where he could get them at any second," he said quietly, his eyes shifting to the wooden floor. He let his eyes close shut, attempting to take his mind off of the thoughts that traveled around his head at a frantic pace.

"I know. I don't like it either, but I don't think he'll do anything to them. They'll be back soon, you'll see. But... while they're gone, how about we try to take your mind off things?" Carlos suggested as he jumped up and pulled Kendall to his feet.

Kendall rolled his eyes at his best friend, doubting he'd be able to get his mind off the situation. Then again, it was Carlos, and if Carlos was known for anything, it was for being able to cheer people up even when they were at their worst. "And, how do we do that?"

"By baking, duh!"

Kendall opened his mouth to object, but before he could even get a word out, Carlos took ahold of his wrist and pulled him towards the kitchen. "Carlos, I don't see how baking is going to take my mind off things," he said as he was pushed to sit on a barstool. He watched as the shorter boy rummaged through the fridge and practically took out almost everything there was inside it. "Also, I don't think you need all of that..."

"You can never tell," Carlos said with a grin.

Kendall placed his elbow on the counter and leaned the side of his head against the palm of his hand as he continued to watch Carlos excitedly separate everything he had placed atop of it. He was still unsure of what he had planned, and he doubted that the boy's plan would work, but he was willing to give Carlos' idea a chance. He wasn't going to just reject the boy's attempts of cheering him up—it would break Carlos' heart for sure and make him feel utterly useless.

"Cookies, cake, or pie?"

Kendall furrowed his eyebrows at Carlos' question. "Huh?"

"What should we make, cookies, cake, or a pie?"

"Uh..."

"Or maybe we could make homemade corn dogs..." Kendall raised an eyebrow at the smaller boy, who seemed to be deep in thought. "What? You can never have too many corn dogs."

Kendall couldn't help but smile at Carlos' words. "You mean _you_ can never have too many corn dogs."

"That's what I said!"

"No, it's not..."

"Wait, so can we?"

Kendall smiled, reached forward, and ruffled Carlos' black tufts of hair. "Maybe some other time, buddy. You've had corn dogs pretty much every day this week. How about we make cookies instead?"

Carlos pouted, but it didn't take long for a smile to come to his face. "Sure! But can we make chocolate chip?"

"Chocolate chip it is."

"Yay!" The smaller boy frantically started picking out the ingredients they would need and pushed the ones they wouldn't need to the side. He then turned to Kendall, who hadn't moved an inch. "Come on, you need to help me. It's not fun making cookies on my own... Plus, if you don't, I'll end up eating the cookie dough."

"Or end up burning the apartment down," Kendall muttered under his breath.

"What?"

Kendall smiled. "Oh nothing, Los, nothing at all."

* * *

"So, are you gonna tell me what's bothering you now?" James asked as he and Logan walked away from the apartment and towards the elevator. He watched Logan's expression, which turned from one of deep thought, to one filled with nervousness. "You can talk to me, you know."

"I know," Logan mumbled. Knowing there was no way that James would let this slip, he pulled the taller brunet into a corner of the hallway, his eyes looking around frantically to make sure no one was nearby. He didn't need anybody eavesdropping on them. "I just didn't get much sleep last night... I was too worried to sleep. Seeing Kendall break down the way he did... broke my heart. I just can't believe he's blaming himself for what his good-for-nothing father did to him. I don't see why he'd blame himself for any of it, but knowing his dad, he must've somehow made him believe that."

"Want to know what I think?" James asked, and Logan nodded in response. "I think, that aside from what his father might've done and said to him, he's blaming himself for something else."

"Something else like what?"

"Well, Kendall's dad was taken to jail because of what he did to Kendall, so... because of that, both Kendall and Katie were left fatherless, I guess you could say, and Mrs. Knight had to look after the two of them on her own, which must have been difficult for her."

"But that's not Kendall's fault," Logan said in a soft tone, sadness consuming him at the thought of Kendall blaming himself for something like that.

"No, of course it isn't, and it never has been. The only one to blame in this whole mess is his dad, but you know Kendall. When something doesn't go right, or when somebody he loves gets hurt, he tends to beat himself up, even if it isn't his fault."

"I know... I just hate knowing that he thinks that he deserved everything his father did," Logan explained. "If something happens to him—if he gets hurt again, I don't know what I'll do."

"Neither do I," James admitted, his voice feeling like it might break. "I promised him the first time this happened that I'd never let that man hurt him again. I'm scared I won't be able to keep that promise..."

"James..." Logan frowned as he wrapped his arms around the taller teen and rested his head against his shoulder. "You won't. We won't let anything happen to him. He's going to be okay. Everything will be alright."

"I know. I just hate this... all of it."

"I do, too."

Hesitantly, James pulled away from Logan's hold and turned to stare at the wall, forcing back the tears that had gathered in his eyes. "I guess we better figure out how to stop this. One way or another."

Logan only nodded, and the two continued to make their way towards the elevator, hoping they would be able to put a stop to this whole mess soon.

* * *

"I'm not hungry, Carlos."

Kendall stared at the plate piled high with cookies that Carlos had placed in front of him. For a while, his mood had somewhat gotten better, but now that he wasn't as distracted as before, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to James and Logan, and especially his dad.

Carlos frowned but took a seat in front of the dirty blond, his expression turning serious. "It's okay, you don't have to eat them. I just thought it would help cheer you up a bit."

"It did," Kendall said as he forced a smile for Carlos' sake, but it soon vanished. "It did help. I just... I have this feeling."

"What do you mean?" Carlos asked quietly, his brown eyes filling with concern.

"I don't know, just this feeling... Like something bad's going to happen. I'm probably just overthinking and letting it get to me, but... I don't know."

Carlos was going to respond, but the sound of the door swinging open made the two boys jump and turn their attention to the entrance of the apartment.

The sight that they were met with caused their hearts to drop and left them momentarily frozen in their spots.

"James!"

* * *

 **I need to stop with the cliffhangers, but they're fun to write. :P You all probably hate me by now, though... Hope you liked it, and thank you for reading!**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. I'm so sorry for taking so long to post anything. Classes started again in late August, so I haven't had as much time to write. I also kind of had writer's block, so that definitely didn't help. But I finally got this done, so here it is.**

 **Before you read this chapter, I want to let you know that I made a slight change to the previous chapter. So, in the last chapter, James and Logan bump into Kendall's dad on their way to the lobby, and I had to change that, because if I didn't, things wouldn't make any sense. If you want to, you can go ahead and read the part with James and Logan (from the last chapter) again, just so things aren't confusing. And just to clear things up, this chapter takes place before the boys arrive at the apartment—it kind of backtracks a bit, I guess. If anything confuses you, please let me know, because I'm not sure if anything I just wrote in this author's note made sense (hopefully it did).**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Do you think we should split up? Maybe ask around a few people, and see if they know anything?" James asked as the two boys exited the elevator.

Logan stopped walking and turned to the taller brunet, a frown present on his face. "Maybe," he said, seeming hesitant. "I mean, we could try it. Maybe by doing so we'll find out something sooner. It's just..."

"Just what?" James inquired, raising an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"I don't know. I don't like the idea of splitting up. What if he finds one of us. What if—"

"Logan," James said, cutting him off before he could ramble on any further, "it'll be fine. I don't think he'd do anything to us, not here. We have our phones in case anything were to go wrong."

The older boy still looked hesitant and worried, but he nodded in response and gave James a small smile. "Yeah, you're probably right... But please, if anything happens, call me. I'm being serious, James," he warned, all traces of a smile having vanished in an instant.

"I will," James promised. "You too."

Logan smiled and held up his phone. "Will do."

With that being said, the two boys went off in different directions—Logan running up to Mr. Bitters' desk to see if he had given Kendall's father any kind of information, such as Kendall's phone number, and James went off to the pool to see if he could question a few people. He hoped someone knew something. After all, the boys were pretty well-known in the Palm Woods, so figuring out who had given Mr. Knight the younger boy's number wouldn't be as easy as he hoped it would be.

First he asked the Jennifers, followed by Guitar Dude, and then Tyler, but none of them knew anything about the older Knight. He continued asking people around, growing annoyed with each person that didn't know anything.

Sighing, the brunet sat down on one of the pool chairs, fingers buried in between strands of chocolate brown locks as he stared straight ahead, wondering if there was anyone who would disclose that kind of information to a total stranger. And that's when it hit him.

 _Jett_.

Bolting out of the pool area, James ran back into the hotel and rushed to get to the elevator. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he pressed the button for the second floor and impatiently waited for the elevator to ascend towards it and for the doors to open up.

Once he got to Jett's apartment, he started knocking on the door frantically, only to receive no response. James sighed as he leaned against the wooden door, letting his eyes close for only a moment.

"Well, look who we have here."

James jumped, startled by the voice that had suddenly appeared. He opened his eyes in an instant, being met by the sight of Kendall's father standing in front of him. The older man had a smirk plastered on his face—whatever it was that he was up to, James could tell it wasn't good.

"Don't act so surprised, I just want to talk."

"Talk about what?" James spat, his anger getting the best of him. "I have nothing to say to you, except to stay away from Kendall. He doesn't want you around. Why the hell are you even here? Unless you haven't realized this by now, he's terrified of you."

"I'm just here to make amends," the older man said, feigning a hurt expression.

"Amends?" James asked in disbelief, anger boiling in his veins. He stepped forward, fighting the urge to punch Mr. Knight in the face right then and there. "What you did to him can not be taken back. You broke him. You fucking broke him, and you want to make amends? You're lucky I haven't called the police on you yet. We should have done that since the very start!"

Before James could comprehend what was happening, he felt a hand squeezing his neck as he was pushed towards the wall. Black dots danced around in his vision after seconds ticked by and he was unable to remove the man's strong grip from his neck. He gasped for air, feeling like he was about to pass out.

"I will not hesitate to hurt you, him, or Logan and Carlos. If you call the police on me, I will hurt him. I will break him again and make his life, along with yours, a living hell."

Glaring at the younger boy, Kendall's father pulled his arm back and hit James on the side of the head. Too in shock to do anything about it, James didn't have the chance to react as a fist connected once again with his face. He then felt the air being sucked from his lungs as he was kneed in the stomach, causing the brunet to drop to a heap on the floor.

"You say one word to the cops, _one word_ , and that boy is dead," Mr. Knight threatened as he walked away, leaving James gasping for air.

It took James a couple of minutes to regain his composure, but when he did, he carefully sat up, still leaning against the wall, and dialed Logan's number. It only rang once before Logan answered the call.

" _James? Did you find out anything?_ "

"L-Logan," James whimpered, tears blurring his vision. "Logan, please come."

" _What? James, are you okay...? You don't sound okay..._ "

"I'm in the s-second floor, near Jett's apartment. Please hurry."

* * *

Logan was talking to Camille when he got James' call. As soon as James spoke, he immediately realized that something was wrong. The younger boy sounded scared and hurt—he didn't sound like himself in the slightest.

"Camille, I gotta go. Something's up with James. If you find out anything, please let me know," he said as he quickly kissed her cheek and fled from where they stood in the lobby, not even waiting for her to respond.

Logan didn't bother taking the elevator, knowing he'd reach the second floor faster if he raced up the stairs. He didn't know what to expect when he got there, but he sure wasn't expecting to find James sitting on the floor, his face buried in his hands, sobs uncontrollably making him tremble.

"James? James, what happened?" the smaller brunet questioned as he kneeled down in front of his best friend. He took ahold of James' wrists and pulled the boy's hands away from his face, then cupping his face with one hand so he could look him in the eye.

"Oh my God, what happened? Who did this?" he asked, his eyes landing on James' eye, which had turned a purplish-black. The side of his face looked slightly bruised, as if someone had hit him.

"H-He did," James hiccuped. "He said... He said that if we called the cops he'd kill Kendall. L-Logan, what are we going to do?" James asked, tears still freely falling down his cheeks.

Logan, being angry, worried and afraid all at once, pulled James into a hug. "We'll figure that out once we get to the apartment. Come on, we need to go," he said as he pulled James up, earning a groan from the taller boy. "It'll be okay. We'll figure this out. But first we need to get you cleaned up."

James nodded wordlessly, allowing Logan to support part of his weight as they got on the elevator for the third floor.

* * *

 **I hope this chapter was okay and that you guys liked it. :) I'm sorry if it was kind of all over the place and didn't make much sense. But anyways, thank you for reading, as well as for all the feedback—it means a lot.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys. So, this is actually really rushed, and I'm sorry about that. I have to get up early in the morning, and I was having trouble with the chapter, so I'm sorry if it seems like I rushed things. But anyway, I hope you like it.**

* * *

As the boys exited the elevator and arrived at the door of Apartment 2J, the only thing in James' mind was what Kendall's father had told him. If he called the police, he would hurt Kendall, or even worse, _kill him_. He wanted to believe that what the man had said was just his way of trying to scare him, but knowing what he had done to Kendall in the past, James knew what he was capable of.

"It'll be okay," Logan said right before they walked in.

But as they walked in through the door, James immediately felt eyes on him as both Kendall and Carlos shouted his name in unison and rushed to his side.

"James, what happened to you?!" Carlos questioned, causing James to groan in response. He really didn't want to talk about it, much less in front of Kendall, who looked like he was about to pass out. The color had drained from his face, and he looked both worried and angry as he saw the bruises on James' face.

When he didn't respond, Kendall got closer to him and lifted his chin with his hand in order to get a better look at the damage that had been done. James had one black eye, a bruise on his right cheek, and his lip was bleeding. "He did this to you... didn't he?" he asked quietly.

Knowing he couldn't lie to Kendall, the brunet gave a silent nod. "I'll be fine. Please don't blame yourself," he said, knowing Kendall well enough to know that he most likely would.

"It's not fine! None of this is fine!" The blond backed away from the others, his heart rate and breathing picking up as he tried not to panic. "He hurt you! H-He hurt you, and I couldn't do a thing about it! How could I have let this happen? You should've never left the apartment! I shouldn't have let you! Now you're hurt because of me. This is all my f-fault..."

"Kendall, you need to calm dow—"

"How do you expect me to calm down?!" Kendall yelled, slapping Logan's hand away as the brunet tried to reach out for him.

"Kendall, please... none of this is your fault. _None_ of it." James neared the younger boy and took ahold of his shoulders despite his struggling. "You need to sit down and try to calm down. I'm fine, okay? I'm okay," he said as he pushed Kendall to sit down on the couch. He took a seat beside him and pulled Kendall close.

"Please stop saying that... You're not okay. Nothing's okay. Nothing's ever gonna be okay as long as he's here. I-I'm such a horrible f-friend. I c-couldn't even help you, and now you're hurt. I'm s-sorry, James."

James sighed, knowing this would happen. "Kendall, no. This isn't your fault. Yes, he hurt me, but I'd rather have him hurt me than you. And you couldn't have known he'd do it. I didn't even see it coming, so no, it's not your fault. I'm gonna be okay, alright? I'm gonna be fine, I promise." He frowned, pulling the boy closer and resting his head on top of shaggy blond hair. "And you're gonna be okay, and everyone's gonna be okay."

Kendall closed his eyes, trying to focus on his breathing, which had sped up in the past few minutes. He hated this – hated how the roles seemed to be reversed now. He was usually the one that was there for the other boys whenever they were hurt or upset, and now he couldn't even do that right. He was completely taken over by fear – fear that his father would come barging through the door, that he'd have to face him, that he'd hurt someone he really cared about. And now, one of those fears had come true, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He felt absolutely helpless.

* * *

"Hey, what are you doing up?" James asked as he walked into the living room, only to find Kendall sitting on the couch.

The blond shrugged in response and rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying for the past half hour. "Couldn't sleep, I guess... Too much on my mind."

Frowning, James lifted Kendall's legs and sat down, placing them on his lap. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Then start wherever, I've got plenty of time."

"Do you think I'm being stupid?"

"No, of course not. Why would you be stupid?"

Kendall sighed and looked down, not meeting James' eyes. Not that it would make much of a difference if he did, since the living room was for the most part surrounded by darkness. "Me, being so afraid of my d-dad. Sometimes I feel like I should be over it, like I shouldn't let it bother me anymore, but I don't know how to _not_ let it bother me. Even before he came back, I had never really gotten over it. I don't think I ever will..."

"You know, sometimes people hurt us, whether it be emotionally or physically. And it's not easy to get over that. It's not easy to let it go, or to forgive them, or trust those who have wronged you, especially when they don't give you a reason to. So, no, I don't think you're stupid at all. And I think that after all the things he put you through, it's normal for you to be afraid of him. It's _okay_ to be scared, and it's okay to not be okay all the time. It's okay to need others, and I'm telling you this, because I know that you don't find it easy to let us in."

"I feel awful, though," Kendall said quietly, finally looking up at James, tears streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry you got hurt."

"Come here, will you?" James said as he stretched his arms out and waited for Kendall to scoot closer to him. Reluctantly, the younger boy did as he was told, and James wrapped his arms around him, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. "I don't care, okay?"

"But I do—"

"I know, Ken, but you don't have to be sorry. I'm okay, really."

"I know. It's just..."

"It's just what?"

"I feel so useless right now. I don't like not being able to help, I don't like worrying you guys. I hate it."

"Okay, first of all, you are not useless. And second, you're my little brother, I'm always going to worry about you, whether you like it or not."

"I know... thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. That's what I'm here for."

* * *

As soon as James walked out of their bedroom, Carlos grabbed his phone from his nightstand and quietly made his way to the bathroom, careful not to make any noise. He closed the door shut behind him and searched through his contacts, until he found the one he was looking for.

"Hey, it's me. I... I need your help."

* * *

 **So... Any guesses as to who Carlos called? :) Thank you for reading.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys. I'm actually really happy with how this chapter turned out. In this chapter, it mentions that Kendall was twelve when the guys found out about what his dad was doing to him. I'm not sure what age I put in the other chapters, but because I need to have the boys be a bit old in the scene, I'm gonna leave it like that, and fix the age in the rest of the chapters if I put something else. Just letting you all know, so there's no confusion. Also, most of this chapter contains flashbacks. Hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

"Hey, it's me. I... I need your help."

After having seen the injuries Kendall's dad had caused James, Carlos knew that he couldn't just stand there and let him get away with it. He had to do something about it, or else he or one of the others boys would get hurt, and that is the last thing he wanted to happen. So instead of waiting around for something else to happen, he decided to call his dad, even though he knew the other boys would probably get mad at him afterwards. James had mentioned to him and Logan that Kendall's father had threatened him with hurting or even killing Kendall if they were to go to the police, so they were all very hesitant on calling the authorities. But Carlos knew that his father would never allow anything to happen to Kendall – the dirty blond was practically his brother, bound not by blood, but by a much stronger connection: love. Kendall and the other boys meant the world to him, so there was no way he'd allow the older Knight to lay a hand on any of them.

It wouldn't happen, not if he could help it.

Once his father had promised to get a plane ticket to Los Angeles as soon as he could, Carlos hung up the phone and placed it back on his nightstand. He carefully and quietly crawled back into bed and turned over, so that he was lying on his left side, facing the window. Through the slightly opened curtains, he could make out the moon that seemed to glow in the night sky.

He let out a soft sigh and curled in on himself, wishing that Kendall's dad had never made a reappearance. He was dangerous and untrustworthy – if anything, the fear in Kendall's eyes whenever he was mentioned, was a clear indication of that. Not to mention the horrible things he had done to the younger boy when he was just a kid. Carlos only knew bits and pieces, he had seen some of the evidence back then, and knew how emotionally scarred Kendall had been left after what had happened. But unlike Kendall, nobody else knew just how bad things had been. Nobody _really_ knew what the dirty blond had to endure, or how many years he had to put up with it, until the boys found out when they were in sixth grade.

* * *

 _"Kendall, what happened to your face? It's all bruised," Logan commented as he reached forward and gently rubbed the pad of his thumb against Kendall's cheek, which was indeed a blackish-purple._

 _"Oh, I umm... Katie and I were playing with a baseball, and she kinda threw it too hard and hit me in the face," Kendall lied. He quietly chuckled, or feigned to do so, and gave the boys a small smile. "She's a lot stronger than she looks."_

 _"It seems like it," James commented, to which Carlos nodded, but Logan seemed unconvinced and concerned._

 _"That looks really painful. Does it hurt?"_

 _"Only a little, it's no big deal," he said in the most reassuring voice that he could muster. The bell rang, signaling the beginning of first period, which for once, Kendall was grateful for, since he was not in the mood to lie anymore. "Well, I better get to class. See you guys at lunch."_

 _"See ya," they all said in unison, as they headed their separate ways, aside from Carlos and Logan, who had first period together._

 _The two boys entered their science class and took a seat in their usual spots beside each other. Carlos, having noticed Logan's change in mood, tapped his shoulder, succeeding in earning his attention._

 _"Is everything okay?" the smaller boy whispered._

 _Logan just stared at him and shrugged his shoulders._ _"Kendall seems to be having a lot of accidents lately," he said quietly._

 _"What do you mean?" Carlos asked, clearly puzzled by the boy's words._

 _"I mean, I think there's something he's not telling us."_

 _Carlos frowned at Logan's response and shifted his eyes to the front of the classroom, where their teacher was now standing. His focus returned to Logan in a matter of a second, though. "Something like what?"_

 _"Something like, maybe he's getting bullied."_

 _The older boy shook his head. "No way. This is Kendall we're talking about. How many times has he fought off bullies for us? Plus, I'm sure he wouldn't lie to us, especially about something like that."_

 _"Seeing us hurt brings out his protective side, so it wouldn't be the same."_

 _"You're just worrying too much. I'm sure he's fine."_

 _Sighing, Logan nodded and turned to the front of the classroom, his eyes no longer on the shorter boy. "I hope so," he whispered, but it was too low for Carlos to hear._

* * *

Carlos wished he had listened to Logan then, because what happened just a couple of months later, shocked them all.

* * *

 _"Hey guys, have any of you seen Kendall?" James asked as he approached both Logan and Carlos, who were busy putting stuff away in their lockers. It was just before lunch, and the brunet was worried, because Kendall had never showed up to third period._

 _"No, I haven't seen him. Didn't you have last period with him?" Logan asked, receiving a nod from James._

 _"I do, but he wasn't there, and I haven't seen him around today."_

 _"I haven't seen him either," Carlos said quietly. "Maybe he's sick and stayed home."_

 _"Maybe..." Logan mumbled, but he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Have you tried texting him?" he asked James._

 _"Yup, but he hasn't answered yet."_

 _Logan nodded and turned to Carlos, then back to James. "Maybe we should go to his house after school, just to make sure he's okay? His mom's out of town for the week and his dad's at work, so he must be alone... Plus, he can't pick up Katie from school if he's sick, and knowing him, if he is, he'll still do it."_

 _"Yeah, we should," Carlos said as he closed his locker door shut and locked it, "and maybe one of us can go pick up Katie while we're at it."_

 _"I'll go," James said with a smile. "Now, come on. The lunch line is going to be huge by the time we get there."_

 _"He hasn't answered my texts. He would've by now..." James said quietly as the three boys exited the school building._

 _"We tried texting him, too, and nothing." Logan sighed, locked his phone, and stuffed it back into his pocket. "I'm getting worried." Noticing how quiet Carlos had been all day, Logan turned towards him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You're being awfully quiet today."_

 _Carlos looked at him, tried to smile, but the tears in his eyes betrayed him. "What if... What if something did happen to him...?"_

 _"We'll know in a few minutes," Logan said, hoping that Kendall would be alright. "James, go get Katie. We'll text you when we find out something, if you haven't gotten there by then."_

 _James nodded and turned to leave, his feet scraping against the concrete below._

 _Wrapping an arm around Carlos' shoulders in an attempt to comfort him, Logan led them in the other direction._

 _It didn't take them very long to reach Kendall's house, but when they did get there and knocked on the door, they received no response. The house was completely silent._

 _"Let's climb the tree," Carlos said, referring to the tree by Kendall's window that they sometimes used to climb inside._

 _"Okay."_

 _Carlos climbed it first, followed closely by Logan. When they reached the window, they both carefully lifted it open and climbed into Kendall's bedroom, only to find it empty, with Kendall nowhere in sight._

 _Quietly, Logan shut the window and followed Carlos, who was already opening the bedroom door to search the rest of the house._

 _"Kendall...?" Carlos called timidly, but received no answer. "Logan, where is he?"_

 _"I don't know..." Logan tried to remain optimistic, but the anxiety and fear building up in his chest seemed to suffocate him. As Carlos searched the rest of the house, Logan walked back into Kendall's room. That's when he noticed Kendall's cellphone sitting on his bed. Kendall never went anywhere without it._

 _His fear only increased when he noticed a stain on the carpeted floor. Kneeling down to get a closer look at it, he realized what it was, and that's when his heart felt like it had stopped beating._

 _The sound of knocks against the front door forced him out of the shock. It was with wobbly legs that he walked out of the room and into the living room, where Carlos, James and Katie were standing._

 _"Katie doesn't know anything either," James said softly. "She said he dropped her off at school this morning, and then headed to school, but we never saw him..."_

 _"Carlos, why don't you fix Katie a snack real quick?" Logan said in a monotone voice. Carlos gave him a puzzled look, but took ahold of Katie's hand and led her to the kitchen._

 _"What's going on?" James whispered._

 _Logan turned back towards the kitchen, making sure Carlos and Katie wouldn't be able to hear what he was about to say, and then let out a shuddery breath, tears pooling in his eyes. "There's blood stains in his room..."_

 _James seemed to freeze in his spot. "W-What?"_

 _"I don't know, but I have a horrible feeling about this. Maybe we should go to Carlos' house and talk to his dad, he'd know what to do."_

 _"I think we should. If he's not answering our calls, isn't here, and there's blood on the floor, then something definitely isn't right."_

 _Logan could only nod in response._

 _"Carlos, Katie?" Having heard James' call, Carlos walked back into the living room, with Katie close in his heels. "We gotta go."_

 _"Where to?" Katie asked. "Where's Kendy? I want Kendall."_

 _"Kendall's, umm... We're going to Carlos' house."_

 _"My house...?"_

 _"Yes, your house, now let's go."_

 _Before either of the two could question them any further, James pulled Carlos by the wrist towards the door. Logan took ahold of Katie's hand and followed close behind._

 _"Logie?"_

 _Logan looked down, meeting Katie's brown eyes. "Yeah?"_

 _"Where's Kendall?"_

 _"You'll see Kendall soon."_

 _"Promise?" she asked as she brought her pinky finger up in the air. If Logan wasn't so worried, he would have smiled at the sight._

 _Logan hesitantly nodded in response and wrapped his pinky finger around Katie's. "Yeah, I promise."_

* * *

 **So, the next chapter is going to continue where I left off here, with the boys getting to Carlos' house and talking to his dad, and all of that. I was gonna continue it, but I felt like this was a good place to end it.**

 **Did you guys like it? I hope you did. :) Thank you so much for the reviews/favorites/follows and for reading. It makes me happy knowing you all like the story so far.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hope you guys like the chapter. :) It didn't turn out as well as I had hoped for, but hopefully the next one will be better. Hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

 _"Okay boys, can you tell me what is going on?" Carlos' dad asked as he shut the front door behind him. They had left Katie with Carlos' mom and had headed outside, to make sure that the little girl wouldn't hear what they had to say._

 _"Kendall is missing," Logan said, his eyes locked on the ground. "He was never at school, at least, not that we know of. Katie said he took her to class, and was supposed to head to school after that, but we never saw him. Carlos and I went to his house to look for him, while James went to pick up Katie, but he wasn't there."_

 _"I tried texting him, but he never responded, which is why we all thought that going to check up on him would be a good idea," James said softly, his eyes filled with worry._

 _"Actually, his phone was on his bed," Logan said quietly, "and, there was... there was blood on the floor."_

 _"Blood?" Carlos' dad asked, raising an eyebrow. "There was blood on the floor?"_

 _Logan nodded slowly. "Carlos had left to search the rest of the house, but I decided to check his room again, just in case I had missed something that might give us a clue to where he was. That's when I noticed the blood stains on the floor."_

 _"Were they there before?"_

 _Logan shook his head. "I'm pretty sure we had never seen them before. They're kind of easy to spot, so no, I don't think so."_

 _"Boys?"_

 _James shook his head, while Carlos remained where he stood, frozen in his spot._

 _"Carlos, mijo, had you ever seen them?"_

 _"No," he practically whispered. His eyes were noticeably filling with tears, and he looked like he might lose his balance at any second. "Papi, where's Kendall?" he mumbled out._

 _"I don't know, but we'll find him, I promise," he said reassuringly as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Do you boys know any other information that might help us find him?" he asked, turning his attention from one boy to the other._

 _"Not really," Logan said. "We don't know where he could be."_

 _"Where are his parents?" he asked as he reached into his pocket and took out his phone._

 _"His mom's out of town, visiting some relatives, I think, and his dad's at work."_

 _The older man only hummed in response, his eyes locked on the phone's screen as he searched through his contacts. "I'm calling his mom first, and then I'll try his dad."_

 _The three boys watched as he walked away to talk on the phone, their worry only increasing with each passing minute. When he walked back, Carlos' dad had an upset look on his face._

 _"Mrs. Knight doesn't know where he is, and his dad didn't answer my call. We're gonna head over to Kendall's house and see if there's anything that we can find that'll lead us to where he might be. You boys might've missed something."_

 _It was without hesitation that all three boys jumped into Officer Garcia's old truck and headed in the direction of the Knights' house. Once there, they all began searching Kendall's room, trying to spot something that might be out of place, or anything that would indicate where the younger boy was. However, Carlos' dad already had his suspicions, but he didn't want to tell the boys what he really thought, before he was sure of it himself._

 _"Alright, since we have no idea where he is, I think we should search around town. I'm going to call the station and ask for help. You boys can tag along with me if you'd like, but let your parents know where you are, so they won't be too worried."_

* * *

 _That night was a blur for all of them. They searched for close to two hours and a half before they came across the blond boy, but it wasn't in the way that they had hoped for._

* * *

 _"Wait, stop!"_

 _Carlos' dad was forced to hit the breaks as James' scream cut through the air. "What happened?"_

 _"I think I saw something a few feet back," he said as he opened his door and got out. It was pretty dark outside by then, so it was hard to make anything out in the darkness, and the only light they had was the one that came from a small flashlight the brunet was carrying._

 _"Oh my God... Kendall!" Tears came to James' eyes as he knelt down beside a body that was lying on the dirty ground. As he shined the light on the boy's face, he realized that it was in fact his best friend that he was looking at, except he looked almost unrecognizable. Cuts and bruises littered his face – there was blood everywhere, and for a moment, James was afraid that they were too late and that he was already dead._

 _"D-Don't touch him," Logan stuttered out as he kneeled down beside James and inspected his younger friend, who looked lifeless. "If he's seriously hurt, you could hurt him even more."_

 _"_ _ **If?**_ _" James questioned, bitterness in his tone. "Of course he's seriously hurt! What if he's dead?! Oh God, he can't be..."_

 _Before Officer Garcia had even reached the boys, he was already dialing an ambulance. "Logan's right, don't touch him," he said to James, who looked absolutely heartbroken. All three boys' faces were smeared with tears at the sight of their best friend._

 _"Is he going to d-die?" Carlos asked as he looked up at his father, unable to stop the river of tears that continued to roll down his cheeks._

 _"He's alive," he said as he checked Kendall's pulse. "He's not going to die. The doctors will do everything they can to make sure that he makes it out alive, I promise."_

* * *

 _Once the ambulance had arrived, and then left and headed towards the hospital, the boys and Officer Garcia followed close behind. It took hours for them to get any news on the boy, and it took even longer for them to be able to see him, but when they did, they all walked in one by one. Mrs. Knight had returned after having been informed of Kendall's condition, so she was the first to enter, followed by James, Logan, and Carlos. Kendall's father was still missing by then, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was the one responsible for Kendall's injuries._

 _The police were trying to find him, to no avail, but they weren't giving up._

 _"Hey." Once it was Carlos' turn to see Kendall, he took a seat on the chair beside his bed and took ahold of his hand, which was cold and clammy against his own. "You really scared us... I thought we were going to lose you."_

 _There was no response._

 _"The doctors say you should be fine... physically anyway. They don't know when you'll wake up, though." Tears sprung to his eyes as he said those words out loud. "I really wish you'd wake up already. I m-miss you."_

 _He tightened his hold on the boy's hand and let out a soft sigh, doing his best to stop himself from crying. "I swear, no matter who it was who did this to you, we won't ever let them hurt you again. I promise you that."_

* * *

Carlos sighed as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bed, and then made his way towards the bedroom door. He quietly walked out and made his way to the living room, where he was met by the sight of James and Kendall sitting on the couch. Kendall had his head resting against James' shoulder, and the brunet's arms were wrapped tightly around the blond.

Smiling at the sight, he returned back to his room and closed the door as quietly as he could, letting his back slide against it, until he was sitting on the floor.

 _I just hope this ends soon_ , he thought as he wrapped his arms around his knees and finally let the tears fall.

* * *

 **Let me know what you guys thought. If there's anything you'd like to see in the story, let me know, too. I could really use some ideas. :) I hope you guys liked it! Thank you for reading.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, thank you for all of the reviews. :) I'm glad you are liking the story, even though it's all over the place. At least, that's what it seems like to me. Haha. Not much happens in this chapter, buuut, it has Kames and Cargan bromance, so if you like that, then you'll probably like this chapter. Enjoy. :)**

* * *

"You know, sometimes he'd lock me in the closet, w-when mom wasn't home," Kendall said in a voice so quiet that James barely heard him. "H-He wouldn't care if I screamed or cried – if anything, it only made him angrier. He'd leave me without food or water, he'd beat me senseless. H-He..." Kendall closed his eyes, tears streaking his cheeks quite rapidly. He was shaking in James' hold, unable to hold back the sobs that caused his body to tremble uncontrollably. "He broke me..."

"Kendall, that's not tr—"

"It is." Slowly, Kendall untangled himself from James' hold and curled up beside him, his knees pulled up close to his chest, while his head rested against James' shoulder. "I can't even look at my own father in the eye, I can't hear his voice, I can't do it without being sent into a panic attack. I'm so scared of him, James. He left me physically and emotionally scarred, and I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him for what he did."

"You don't have to forgive him, Ken," James said as he placed a hand on the dirty blond's shoulder. "You don't have to forgive anyone if you're not ready to do so, and honestly, he doesn't deserve to be forgiven for what he did to you. Your dad hurt you so much, he put you through something no father should ever put a child through. I'm so sorry he did that to you, because you didn't deserve it, not at all."

"But... But what if... what if I did?" Kendall asked timidly.

"No, Kendy, no." James' heart broke as he placed his hand under Kendall's chin and lifted his head up. The look in Kendall's green eyes reflected pain, guilt and fear, and James wished more than anything that he could take it away. "I already told you, you have done nothing to deserve this, you never did. Your dad's an awful person, who doesn't care about who he hurts, and that isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for what he did to you. That's most likely what he wants – for you to think that he did what he did to you, because you deserved it. But Kendall, you were just a kid. Heck, you're _still_ just a kid. You didn't know any better back then, and he knew that. He knew that he could threaten you, and that you'd listen to him."

"I just don't know what to believe anymore, James. I feel so lost right now, and I'm so tired. I never thought he'd come back."

Frowning, James wrapped his arm around Kendall's waist, pulling him closer to his side. To his surprise, Kendall leaned against his touch and buried his face against James' chest, his tears dampening the fabric of the brunet's shirt. "I feel so pathetic, I'm so sorry."

"You're not," James said gently, rubbing a hand up and down Kendall's arm in an attempt to comfort him. "You're not pathetic for crying or for letting your emotions show. You're not pathetic for needing reassurance or for needing us. And believe me when I say that you're not bothering me, or Carlos and Logan. You never have, and you never will, because that's what friends are for. We love you so much, and all we want is to keep you safe, and we will. We'll figure this out, okay?"

"I hope so."

"I promise we will. But for now, you need to get some sleep."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," the blond said quietly.

James frowned at the boy's words. "At least try, okay?" he said, gently pushing Kendall away so that he could grab the blanket that was on the other side of him. "Please?" he asked, smiling a little when Kendall laid down on the couch and allowed James to drape the blanket over him.

"Just... please don't leave."

"I won't," James promised as he laid down behind Kendall and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, pulling him close.

Kendall turned around in the older boy's hold and buried his face against James' chest, wrapping his own arms around the brunet's waist. "I don't want to be alone right now," he whispered so quietly that James could barely make out what he had said.

"You're not alone. We're here for you, always, never forget that," James whispered softly, pressing his lips to the top of Kendall's head briefly, and then letting his head rest on top of the blond's. "I love you."

Kendall felt tears begin to gather in his eyes, but he forced them back. He was tired of crying and feeling so vulnerable and afraid. The past two days had been a roller coaster of emotions, and they had left him completely drained of energy. He just wanted things to go back to normal.

"I love you too," he said softly, allowing his eyes to drift shut, but sleep did not come easily.

* * *

"Logan, wake up."

"Five more minutes, mommy," Logan mumbled as he rolled over onto his other side, shielding his face with his blanket, and paying no mind to the boy standing right by his side. Carlos frowned, taking ahold of the blanket that the brunet was currently under, and tugging at it. Apparently Logan was tangled up in the blanket though, since when he tugged at it, the younger boy went rolling off the other side of the bed and falling to the floor.

"Ouch! Carlos!"

"Sorry," the shorter boy apologized. He watched as Logan stood up from the floor and crawled back on the bed, reaching towards his nightstand to turn on the lamp sitting there.

"What are you doing up? It's not even five in the morning yet. It's way too early, and I'm tired." His eyes shifted to Kendall's bed then, noticing that it was empty. "Where's Kendall?"

"He's with James. I actually... I need to talk to you about something."

"Something like what?" the brunet asked suspiciously, knowing that whatever Carlos had to say was probably not something good. The smaller boy was fidgeting where he stood, and his gaze was locked on the bedsheets, refusing to meet Logan in the eye. "Carlos, what happened?"

"Promise you won't hate me?"

Logan gave Carlos a small smile and took ahold of his arm, pulling him to sit on the bed. "No, of course I won't hate you. What's going on?"

"I might have... I might have done something I wasn't supposed to."

"Okay... What exactly did you do?"

"Please don't be mad." Carlos' eyes welled up with tears, his bottom lip trembling as he refused to let them fall. "I don't want you to be mad. And please don't freak out."

Logan fought back the urge to roll his eyes and tell Carlos that he was already starting to freak out, since he didn't want to startle him. The poor kid looked sick with fear. "I won't."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"I-I-I... I c-called my dad."

"You _what_?!"

"You said you wouldn't freak out!" Carlos half-whispered, half-yelled, not wanting to wake up James and Kendall, who were asleep in the living room. "I promise nothing bad will happen. I told my dad about Kendall's dad threatening James, so he's aware of that. H-He said he'd take the next flight here. He'll figure out what to do. He can help."

Logan sighed, pulling at his hair with frustration. "Carlos... James is going to freak out when he finds out. I know you're just trying to help, and I know you just want Kendall to be safe – we all do – but it's just... too risky right now."

"I know." Carlos pouted, a tear rolling down his cheek. "But if we don't do something about it now, then who knows what will happen. Something needs to be done, _now_. You saw what he did to James. What it he hurts him again, or goes after one of us next? What if he hurts Kendall? He obviously came back for a reason, and I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna stand around and wait to find out what that reason is."

"How are we gonna tell James?" Logan asked, knowing that Carlos was right. They couldn't just stand around and wait for something worse to happen.

"I don't think we should tell him yet. He'll find out when my dad gets here – I think it'll be better that way. I don't want to worry him ahead of time."

"I don't like keeping it from him, though, or Kendall."

"I don't either," Carlos said sadly, "but you know James will worry, even more than he already does, and Kendall... I don't even know how he'd handle it. But hopefully my dad will be here soon. You know he would never let anything happen to Kendall or to any of us. You guys are like family."

"I hope you're right, because if something happens to Kendall... I don't know what I'll do. I don't know what any of us would do."

* * *

 **Someone will be arriving next chapter, though you all probably already know who. :P I hope you liked the chapter! Thank you for reading. :)**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys. I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, so it's quite short. I had made it longer, but I decided to keep certain things for the next one. I already have the next chapter planned out, and it should be a lot better than this one. This one's basically just a filler chapter, I guess, so not that interesting. I hope you all enjoy it, though. :)**

 **Just a head's up, the first part of this chapter (with Kendall and James), takes place just a few hours after where I left off on the last one, aside from the flashback at the beginning. The part between Logan and Carlos takes place even later (just a bit later). I feel like it would have been kind of confusing if I didn't explain it. Or maybe it's still confusing... I'm not very good at explaining. If you have any questions, let me know.**

* * *

 _"Why do you flinch whenever I come anywhere near you?"_

 _It was just a simple question, but as the words slipped from James' lips, Kendall was left feeling paralyzed. He couldn't move, couldn't think, and could not come up with an answer that would excuse his abnormal behavior. It wasn't the first time one of the boys had realized that there was something odd about the way he had been acting, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. He knew that there would be a time in which he would no longer be able to hide the truth, but he knew that for now, he had to do his best to not let it slip. It was either that, or be beaten to death, which, if he was being honest, didn't seem like such a bad idea – not considering the life he was living._

 _"I..."_

 _James raised an eyebrow, waiting for Kendall's response, but the blond looked utterly terrified, so he let it go. But deep down, he knew that he shouldn't have._

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Ken," James whispered as he stared at the younger boy laying by his side, who had his eyes closed, in what appeared to be a peaceful sleep. _I should've protected you_ , he though sadly.

Even though deep down, he knew that what Kendall's father had done to him wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but blame himself. He always wished he could've done something to prevent it. If he had only questioned him further, maybe he would've been able to put a stop to it. Maybe he could've saved Kendall before he had gone through the hell his dad had put him through.

"Don't be." Startled, James watched as Kendall's eyes fluttered open. "Why are you sorry?" he asked quietly, frowning at the brunet, who didn't seem to know what to say.

Seconds of silence passed before James spoke. "I thought you were asleep," he said, ignoring the question.

"I was, kind of, but I heard you apologize... Why are you sorry?" he repeated, concern for his best friend overtaking every other emotion.

"It doesn't matter, just go back to sleep."

Kendall sighed as he untangled himself from James' hold and sat up on the couch. Seeing how there was barely enough room for the two of them, James sat up as well and moved a bit to the side, allowing Kendall to sit beside him.

"Don't do that, please."

"It's really not important. I'm just sorry all of this has been happening. I'm sorry he had to come back and ruin everything."

"James... please tell me the truth."

"What do you mean?" James asked, pretending to be confused in hopes that Kendall would just change the subject, but he knew it wouldn't work. Kendall was stubborn, perhaps even more stubborn that him. If he wanted to find out something, he wouldn't give up on trying to get it out of him.

"I've known you for most of my life. That's not going to work, you know. Whatever it is that you're sorry for, please just tell me. I don't know why you're apologizing... It shouldn't be you who should apologize."

"He hurt you," James started, tears gathering in his eyes as he looked over at Kendall, who stared back at him with guilt in his eyes, "and I did nothing to stop it."

"But, that wasn't your fault. Why are you blaming yourself for that?"

"The signs were there, Kendall. It was obvious that you were hurting, and I think all three of us noticed that something was not right. You were hurting, and instead of trying to get you to tell me what was going on, I would brush it off whenever you'd get upset. I shouldn't have done that."

"That was my decision. I _could_ have told you, but I didn't. How is that your fault?"

"It just is... Can we just drop it? It's not important anymore. What's important right now is that we don't let him come anywhere near any of us, and that we find a way to get him out of here."

Frowning, Kendall nodded his head and turned away from James. "Just know that none of this is your fault, _none_ of it. _He_ hurt me, not you. You've done nothing but be supportive and helped me get through life after everything he did. And for that, I'm so thankful... You have no idea how thankful I am to have you, or Carlos or Logan. Without you guys... without you, I don't think I would've made it this far."

Looking up, he was met by the sight of a teary-eyed James, who had tears running down his face. "We're family. That's why we're here, you know."

Kendall smiled as he wrapped his arms around James' torso, and rested his head against the boy's shoulder. "Thank you... for everything. It really means a lot to me."

"Anytime, Ken."

* * *

"I'm nervous." Carlos paced back and forth in his and James' room, his hands tangled in black tufts of hair. "What if I made a mistake by calling my dad? What if James hates me? What if something happens to Kendall?" he said quietly to Logan, who was sitting down on James' bed, watching him with worry.

"He's not going to hate you. He may be upset, and he might get worried and panic a bit, but he won't hate you," Logan said softly.

"I really hope so. I really hope I'm not just making things worse."

"You're not. I'm sure that once your dad gets here, he'll figure everything out. He always does."

"Yeah, but—" Before Carlos could continue, there was a knock on the front door. "He's here!"

Shaking his head, Logan held a finger to his lips, motioning for Carlos to be quiet. Slowly, he walked towards the bedroom door and twisted the doorknob. "They're asleep, come on."

"They're going to wake up..."

"Just come, it'll be fine."

Being careful not to make any noise, Carlos followed Logan as he made his way towards the apartment's entrance. After looking back to make sure that Kendall and James were still asleep, Carlos unlocked the door, and quietly opened it to reveal his dad on the other side.

* * *

 **What did you guys think? I had originally planned to have Carlos' dad more on this chapter, and not end it with him getting there, but I'm leaving that for the next chapter, since more will happen on that one. It should be... interesting.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. :) Thank you for reading and for the feedback, it means a lot.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys. :) Sorry for taking so long to get this up. This chapter was pretty easy to write, so I could've had it up sooner, but I was trying to focus on a chapter for one of my other stories (which took me quite a while to write). Buuut, I finally got to finish this, so I hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

"So, will someone tell me what's going on?"

Carlos looked from his dad to Logan, his eyes full of fear. The three of them were now sitting in Carlos and James' bedroom, trying to be as quiet as possible so that they would not awaken the two boys in the living room.

"It's kind of a long story... Kendall and James don't know that you're here, and I'm afraid of how James will react once he finds out that I called you," Carlos said quietly.

"Why are you afraid of how he will react?" the older man asked with confusion.

Running a hand through his black tufts of hair, Carlos turned to Logan, who rolled his eyes and proceeded to explain what had happened since Kendall's dad had arrived.

"Kendall's dad got here two days ago, and we don't really know why he's here, but it doesn't seem to be for a good reason. Shortly after Kendall saw him in the lobby, he ran up here – he was terrified. I don't think I've ever seen him that afraid before. Not since... everything that happened."

"What happened after that?"

"Well, Kendall came into our room, and I couldn't get him to calm down. It was scary seeing him like that."

"And while that was going on, Kendall's dad came and knocked on the door. At the time, no one really knew what was going on, so James opened the door, not knowing it was Kendall's dad. He demanded to see Kendall, and I got mad and told him that he had no right to do that. He hurt him so much, papi..."

"I know, mijo," the older man said as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder, who appeared to be in the verge of tears. "Can you tell me what happened after that?"

Carlos nodded his head, biting on his bottom lip to fight back the tears. "We didn't really know what to do, so we made sure to keep Kendall safe. We were too afraid to go anywhere, and our main priority was keeping Kendall safe. But then... he called his cellphone."

"Kenneth called Kendall's number?"

Carlos nodded in confirmation. "We still don't know how he got his number."

"We thought somebody might've given him Kendall's number, so James and I decided to go out and try to find out what had happened. We were kind of hoping that if we did find out who it was that had given him his number, we'd be able to stop something like that from happening again, but... it wasn't our brightest idea."

"What do you mean?" Carlos' dad looked at Logan with worry, seeing the expression of fear reflect off the boy's chocolate brown eyes. "Did something happen because of that?"

"He found James, and he... he threatened him. He hurt him, and then threatened him by telling him that if he did call the police, he'd hurt Kendall... That's why we're afraid of how James will react once he finds out that you're here."

"Once I find out who's here?"

Logan and Carlos froze, looking back to see James standing in the doorway to the bedroom, his eyes wide open in surprise. "W-What are you doing here?" he asked, pointing a finger towards Carlos' dad, who was now standing and walking towards him.

"James, it's okay, I'm just here to help—"

"Help?! He's going to _kill_ Kendall if he sees you! He can't find out that you're here!" The younger boy was now hyperventilating, trying to back away from the older man.

"What's going on— Papi?" Kendall stood behind James, who was now facing him, eyes blown wide in fear. "What is happening?"

"Kendall..."

"What's going on...?" The dirty blond repeated, diverting his eyes from James, to Carlos' dad, to the two boys behind him. When no one responded, he brushed past James and walked up to Antonio Garcia, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion at the man who had been there for him when his father hadn't. "Papi, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help, mijo, with this whole situation."

Kendall shook his head. "Y-You can't do that. You don't know how dangerous he really is. You don't know what he's capable of... I don't want him to hurt you."

Placing both hands on the teen's shoulders, Antonio pushed him to sit on James' bed, and then knelt down in front of him. He then turned to James, nodding to the empty space beside Kendall. Hesitantly, the brunet walked towards it and took a seat, his gaze turning towards his lap.

"I want both of you to listen to me, alright?" When he received two small nods from the two boys, he continued. "I love you two as if you were my own children, and I will not allow anyone to hurt either one of you, or Logan or Carlos, regardless of whether that person is family or not. I know you're both worried and scared, but trust me when I say that you boys have nothing to worry about. Now that I'm here, I'll figure out what to do about him and get to the bottom of this. Now," he turned to James, letting his hand rest on his shoulder, "what did he do to you?"

"Me?" James asked, as if he hadn't heard him the first time. "It wasn't a big deal, I'm fine."

"James, it doesn't matter if it seems like a big deal to you or not. The more information I know, the better. Please just tell me what happened."

Sighing, James turned to Kendall, who was visibly shaking beside him, green eyes locked on the older boy. "Can you guys take Kendall outside?" he asked Carlos and Logan, who were staring at him as well.

Carlos opened his mouth to respond, but Kendall spoke before he could do so.

"No."

"What?" James asked, taken aback by surprise.

"I said, no. I'm not going anywhere."

"Kendall..."

"Unless there's something that you don't want me to hear."

The taller boy frowned, running his fingers through disheveled locks of brown hair. "Fine, stay. Just... know that what I'm about to say is not your fault, in any way."

"Okay..."

Hazel eyes turned to face the older man standing in front of them. "Logan and I went out, hoping we would find out how Kendall's dad got his number, because he called him the day in which he got an apartment here." He felt Kendall tense up at the memory, so he wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders, pulling him close. "It's okay," he said softly, pressing his lips to the top of Kendall's head for a brief second. "So, we decided to split up. I walked around for a bit, asking a few of our friends if they knew anything, but no one did. Then I remembered Jett, an actor who lives here, who isn't very fond of Kendall, and I thought that he might know something, so I decided to go to his apartment, but..."

"But?"

"But when I got there, he appeared."

"Kenneth?" Antonio asked, wanting to be sure.

"Yeah, him."

"Alright. What happened when he got there?"

"He said he wanted to make amends, but I knew that's not why he was there. I didn't want to talk to him, but I was so mad. I started yelling at him, and I guess that's what set him off, because the next thing I knew, he was trying to choke me and had me pressed against the wall. I thought he was going to kill me... He hit me a couple of times and then left."

"Did he say anything else?"

"Well..." Not wanting to tell the truth in front of Kendall, but knowing that he had no other choice, James turned to the boy leaning against him, his heart breaking at the sight of the fear he found in his eyes. "Yeah... he kind of did."

"And that would be...?"

James closed his eyes, forcing himself not to cry. "He threatened me. He said that if... that if we called the police, he'd hurt Kendall o-or k-kill him."

Feeling Kendall shake even harder, James wrapped both of his arms around him, holding him as close as possible. "It's okay. He's not going to hurt you, I promise."

Antonio stood up, anger clear in his eyes. "I'll deal with this, okay? I'll get him out of here, it's all gonna be fine, trust me."

James looked up at him, smiling a little. "Thank you."

"That's what family's for," Antonio said to James before looking down at Kendall, who looked shaken up, to put it lightly. "It's gonna be okay, mijo," he said softly. "I promise you, you're all going to be okay. I won't let him hurt any of you."

* * *

 **If any of you are wondering where Katie and Mrs. Knight are, you'll find out soon enough. ;) I feel like I've had a lot of Kames bromance in the past few chapters, so I'll try to add Carlos and Logan more in the ones that are to come. Let me know what you thought, and if there's anything you'd like to see, let me know as well. Thank you for reading – I hope you liked it. :)**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**First of all, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been busy, so I haven't had much time to write, and I was also having trouble with this chapter. This chapter isn't quite as long as I hoped it would be, but I'll try to make the next one longer to make up for it. Also, for those of you reading Broken Wings, Shattered Heart, I have been working on the next chapter, so that should be updated within the next few days.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

 _"...So I thought maybe we could go outside, play some street hockey... anything. We miss you."_

 _"You see me every day at school," Kendall pointed out, agitated by the fact that James and the other boys kept trying to convince him to get out of the house. "Besides, I really don't feel like playing right now."_

 _"Kendall..." James' voice trailed off as he stared at his best friend – the best friend he no longer recognized. For years, Kendall had done his best to hold himself together, for the sake of his mother, his little sister, his friends, and everyone else around him. But now that it had been a few months since they had all found out about the abuse his father had put him through, he had finally put down the façade. It was until now that they could all see the real damage that his father had done to him, and it broke James' heart to see him like this._

 _"What?" He didn't even look up at James as he uttered that one word – his eyes remained staring at his feet and away from James' worried stare._

 _"Kendall, look at me, please," James pleaded softly, tears pooling behind hazel eyes._

 _Sighing in defeat, Kendall looked up at him, feigning an angry expression in hopes that it would mask the sadness that hid behind green eyes. "What do you want from me?" he asked, swallowing the lump that had grown in his throat. "I just wanna be left alone."_

 _"I want to talk. You've been shutting everyone out lately. We barely see you anymore. We miss you, Kendall. We miss the real you, this isn't you," James said in the verge of breaking down. "We're worried about you."_

 _Kendall sighed and looked away, letting his body fall back on the bed. He turned around so that he was no longer facing James. He didn't want him to see him break down. "I'm just tired, that's all."_

 _"You're lying."_

 _"I'm not."_

 _"Kendall, please—"_

 _"How would you know?" His tone was bitter and angry as he sat back up, tears pooling in his eyes and slowly making their way down his cheeks. "For years I hid what my dad was doing to me, and_ nobody _noticed. So how would you know if I'm lying or not?"_

 _His words hurt, more than James would dare to admit. Even though he knew that Kendall didn't mean what he said, he couldn't help but allow the guilt to consume him, because just like everybody else, he felt guilty for not having noticed how badly his friend was hurting. Hearing the words come from Kendall's mouth only made it hurt even more._

 _"I'm... I'm sorry, James." Kendall choked on his own words as he stared at James, his facial expression softening into one of guilt and regret. "I didn't mean that. I just..."_

 _"It's okay, I get it. If you wanna be left alone, I'll leave," James said in a monotone voice, ready to stand up and walk out of the room, but he stopped as Kendall grabbed his arm and pulled him back down, his grip on his arm not loosening until he was sure he would not walk away._

 _"It's not okay," he whispered, drying his eyes with the heel of his hands. "I hid it well; you couldn't have known. It's just that..."_

 _"It's just that what?" James asked, turning to face him as Kendall looked away._

 _Seconds ticked by, with no words being exchanged between them. The younger boy seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, until he finally looked up, with tears swimming in his eyes. "I just... I k-keep replaying everything in my head; everything that he did to me, everything that he said. And I keep asking myself, 'Why? Why did he do it? Was it something I did? Is it my fault after all?'"_

 _"Ken... What your dad did to you wasn't your fault. Why do you think it was?"_

 _Kendall shrugged his shoulders in response and closed his eyes, wishing that the earth would swallow him whole at that very moment. "Lots of reasons," he said, his heart feeling like it might beat out of his chest. He hesitated for a moment, being too afraid to say what he was really thinking, but deep down he knew that he could trust James, so he let the words slip without a second thought. "He told me that it was, practically every d-day. He'd blame me for everything, and would say that I deserved what he did to me." He then looked up at the older boy, the tears now cascading down his face like a waterfall. "I'm such a screw up, James..."_

 _"No. No, you're n-not." James was unable to hide the shakiness in his voice once he saw Kendall break down. He scooted closer towards the blond and carefully wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer to his body and allowing Kendall to seek refuge in his arms. "I don't know exactly what he told you or what he did to you, but I do know that you are not to blame for his actions."_

 _"H-How do you know that?" Kendall asked, his voice muffled by the fabric of James' shirt, which he was clinging to for dear life. "According to him, I was a mistake, and he and mom n-never wanted me."_

 _Anger ran through James' veins – anger for the man who stole the light that was once present in Kendall's eyes. He had stolen his happiness, taken away his innocence, and left behind a shadow of the person James once knew. And as much as James hated it, he knew that this was real life – it wasn't some nightmare that he could awaken from and leave in the past. But he also knew that no matter how long it took, he would find a way to make Kendall happy again. He wouldn't give up on him so easily._

* * *

"Is he okay?"

Logan's voice startled James out of his thoughts. He looked up, his eyes moving in the direction in which his voice had come from. "Yeah, he knocked himself out," he whispered to the shorter brunet, who was standing beside his bed, looking visibly worried. Beside James, Kendall laid, head tucked under his chin.

"Are you okay?" Logan asked as he took a seat on the very edge of the bed and placed a hand on James' knee.

"I'm not the one you should be worried about," James said flatly. "Besides, I'm fine. I'm just worried, as I'm sure all of us are."

"About Kendall?" Logan whispered in fear that he would awaken the sleeping boy that laid curled up against James' chest. James nodded his head, his hold on the smaller boy tightening as he nuzzled his face against soft tufts of blond hair and closed his eyes. "It'll be okay, James," Logan assured him softly, frowning when he saw James' shoulders start to quake. "Papi will figure everything out, and before you know it, things will go back to normal."

"What if they don't?"

"What do you mean?" Logan asked, clearly puzzled by the question. "Why wouldn't they?"

James sighed as he carefully got up and moved Kendall, so that his head was now resting on a pillow and not on his chest. He motioned towards the bedroom entrance, and the two of them walked towards it, not stopping until they were outside, where they were sure Kendall wouldn't be able to hear what James had to say.

"I guess I'm afraid that things will get bad again. Do you remember how badly Kendall was hurt when we first found out about what his dad had been doing? He wouldn't talk to us – he'd isolate himself in his room. He became so withdrawn, and he just seemed so... dead on the inside. I don't want him to go through that again."

"That's not going to happen. We won't allow his dad to hurt him that much again. You said it yourself, we won't let him come near him."

"Yeah, but what if—"

"G-Guys?"

James was interrupted as Carlos slowly made his way towards them, cellphone held tightly in his hand. The expression that was on his face was of pure fear and disbelief. "Something happened, and it's not good..."

* * *

 **Any guesses as to what might have happened? You'll find out in the next chapter. ;) I hope you guys liked that. I'll try to have the next chapter up sooner. Thank you for reading. :)**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys. So, I know I said that this chapter would be longer than the previous one, but it ended up being pretty short as well, and the reason for that is that it's kind of just a filler chapter. However, I have something planned for the story, that will hopefully make it more exciting. I feel like not much has happened in the past few chapters, but once that happens, things should get... a bit more interesting and angsty.**

 **Also, I just wanted to thank you guys for all of your reviews on this story. They make me really happy, and I'm glad you're all liking the story so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter, despite how short it is. :)**

* * *

"You look like you've seen a ghost. What happened? And what do you mean it's not good?" Logan asked as he took a step towards Carlos and placed a hand on his shoulder. When the smaller boy didn't respond and simply looked down, Logan's worry grew. "Carlos, what happened?"

"He's gone." The two words were said so quietly that James, who was standing behind Logan, wasn't able to hear him clearly.

"What?" James asked as he stared at him in confusion.

"H-he's gone. He's gone. That was my dad. He doesn't know where he's gone to or what's going on, but he's gone."

"Who's gone?" the taller brunet asked, not quite understanding what Carlos meant.

"Kendall's dad," Logan whispered as he turned to look at James with fear in his eyes.

"What do you mean he's _gone_?" James asked, grabbing onto Carlos' shoulders and steadying him, since he looked like he was about to lose his balance. "Carlos, we need details, you're not making much sense."

"I don't have any details. My dad went to his apartment, and he was gone. He doesn't know where he has gone to, but he said he'll figure it out. He also said not to tell Kendall, because—"

"We can't lie to Kendall," Logan said, cutting him off before he could go any farther.

"It's not _really_ lying. We're just not telling him."

"It's still lying."

"Logan, he will freak out, that's why my dad doesn't want us to tell him. You saw how badly he reacted when he found out his dad was back. If he finds out he's gone, who knows how he will react."

"So what are we supposed to do? Just lie to our best friend and act like nothing has happened? He's going to find out eventually."

James sighed and placed a hand on Logan's shoulder, and then led him to the bright orange couch in the living room, where they all took a seat. "Look, we'll tell him, just not now. It would probably be better to tell him when Carlos' dad is here and when we have more details. There's no need to scare him right now, when we don't even know what's going on."

"I just... I don't know." Logan frowned as he let his head fall into his hands and grasped at his short, dark brown tufts of hair in anger. "I'm so upset, by all of this. This is all so messed up. Kendall doesn't deserve this."

"No, he doesn't," James agreed. "You don't know how much I would like to go up to that bastard, and punch his face right in after everything he's done."

"You know, he's scared we'll see him differently," Logan whispered as he looked up at Carlos and then at James.

"Why would he think that?" Carlos asked, not understanding why Kendall would think such a thing.

"Because he's Kendall," James mumbled. "That's just how he is."

"You don't think it might have something to do with his dad, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... He often hides how he's feeling and doesn't like showing any kind of negative emotion around us, or around anyone, really. It just makes me wonder if there is something his father could've said or done to make him act that way."

"He probably did," Logan said. "He caused him so much pain, I wouldn't be surprised if the reason behind that had to do with the way his dad treated him."

"I wish we'd found out sooner," James whispered quietly. "I just wish... I wish he hadn't gone through what he went through. I can't believe we didn't find out sooner. I feel so—"

"Guilty."

All three of them looked up as Kendall trudged into the room, stopping in front of them as they all remained silent.

"You feel guilty."

"Kendall, I—"

The blond shook his head, not letting James finish. "Please don't lie to me and tell me it's not true. You apologized to me last night, when you had no reason to apologize. I'll understand if you feel guilty. If I was in your shoes, and one of you was in mine, I would feel guilty, too. But by saying that, I don't mean it was your fault or that you should feel guilty, because none of you should."

"Neither should you," James said softly, holding out his hand and grabbing onto Kendall's wrist to pull him towards the couch. Logan and Carlos scooted to the right, leaving Kendall enough space to sit down. "So why do you?"

Kendall shrugged his shoulders, sighing heavily as he leaned his back against the cushions and pulled his knees up to his chest. "Force of habit, I guess. When you are constantly told that something is your fault, you start to believe it."

"No one's saying it's your fault, though," Carlos pointed out.

"No," Kendall sighed before placing his head on top of James' shoulder and letting his eyes close shut, "no one does anymore, but he would... all the time."

"He's a liar," James said as he wrapped an arm around Kendall's shoulders and pulled him closer. "Everything he said to you was nothing but lies. He doesn't know you, Kendall. He may be your father, and he may have been living in the same house as you for a big part of your life, but he does not know you – not the way we do. He doesn't know how great you are."

"I'm... I'm not great."

"Yes, you are, and anyone who has taken the time to get to know you would agree."

"I'm just... scared." As the words slipped from his lips, Kendall looked up at James, his eyes full of tears that he had been bottling up for hours.

"What are you scared of?" Carlos asked as he reached past Logan to lay a hand on the blond's shoulder.

"It's stupid."

"It's not stupid if you're scared. If something is bothering you, it's not stupid. You know you can tell us anything. We won't judge you for it."

Kendall stayed quiet for a minute as he stared straight ahead. He refused to look any of them in the eye, in fear that he would break down if he were to do so. "What if... What if I become like him when I'm older? I don't want to be like him..."

"You are not your father, Kendall. You're not him, and you will _never_ be like him," Logan softly spoke as he kneeled down in front of his younger friend and grabbed onto Kendall's hands, which were resting on his lap. "He is a cruel and heartless person, who has no compassion for others. You do. You care about everyone, even those who you're not close to. You are nothing like him."

"I just don't wanna be a bad person," Kendall mumbled, his eyes shifting to stare into Logan's. "I don't want to hurt someone the way he hurt me. I don't think I would ever forgive myself if I did that."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that, because that's not happening."

"I hope so."

"I know so. Right guys?"

James and Carlos nodded where they sat, agreeing with what Logan had said.

"Of course not. Just because the two of you are blood related, does not mean anything. You're better than him, Kendall," Carlos said as he scooted closer to him and hugged him tightly. "You are _so_ much better than him."

* * *

 **I don't know how I feel about this chapter, but I hope it was okay. Thank you for reading. :)**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys. :) Here's another chapter of Heart Stopping Comeback. I'm actually happy with how this turned out, though the ending feels kind of rushed, but I'm not sure... I hope it's okay. Trigger warning for mention of sexual abuse – it's not descriptive or anything, but just to be safe.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The past always came back to haunt him, no matter how much he tried to run from it. Not many people knew about his dark past – it wasn't something he often shared with others, and he liked to keep it that way. It was something personal, and the only people who really knew about it were James, Carlos and Logan, and his family, of course, but even they didn't know everything.

They didn't know about the awful things his father would say and do to him. They didn't know just how much his words and actions had affected him, even years after his father was put behind bars. They didn't know, and sometimes he was glad they didn't know everything, because he didn't want them to know just how broken he was.

He was the leader – the unofficial leader of the band, as well as the leader of their group. He was the one who the others often looked to for guidance; the one that was expected, at least in his eyes, to look after the other three. He wasn't supposed to be seen as broken or damaged, but that is what he thought of himself, and he was terrified the others would eventually see him that way too.

Abuse changes a person – it alters their personality and changes the way they see things. Whether the abuse was physical, sexual or emotional, it hurts, and it leaves scars that sometimes don't even fade away with time. For Kendall, the abuse he had been put through had left many scars, both on the inside and on the outside, and it was those scars that made him hate himself. The scars, along with the vivid memories that often plagued his mind, were what made him want to disappear into thin air.

He thought that he was over what had happened before, but once his father returned, he was proved wrong once more. He hated himself for thinking that he was fine, because he now realized that he was far from it.

The return of his father had brought back memories – memories he thought he'd put behind him. They were memories that often accompanied him in his dreams, and that for years had made his every waking and sleeping hour a nightmare he could not escape from. And now, the cause of that nightmare was back, and he didn't know what to think, feel or do to get rid of him.

He was glad Carlos had called his dad. He was someone that Kendall trusted, and he knew that he would do everything in his power to make sure that he and the other boys were safe from harm's way. But he also felt useless and powerless, because having him there reminded him of what had happened when they had all found him unconscious on the side of a road, and that's something he didn't want to think about. But that's all he could think about now – that, and about how it had all started.

* * *

 _"Mommy, please don't go!"_

 _Kendall ran down the stairs, a stuffed moose held tightly in one arm as he headed towards the front door, where his mom was standing. The 4-year-old clung to the hem of his mother's coat once he reached her, an expression of sadness and fear present on his face. "I don't want you to go, mommy." Tears pooled in his green eyes as he looked up at his mother, who kneeled down to his level and pulled him into a hug._

 _"I'll be back soon, sweetie. I really have to go. Daddy will be here to look after you though, okay?" she said softly, pushing him to arm's length. "I won't be gone long. Please don't cry."_

 _The little blond boy wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his pajama shirt, which reached a bit past his fingertips. "O-okay," he hiccuped as his mother stood back up and ruffled his hair affectionately._

 _He watched her reach for the suitcase standing beside her and then walk out the door, leaving him alone with his father._

 _"D-daddy, when is mommy coming home?" Kendall asked as he looked up at the older man._

 _He smiled and lifted the boy off the floor and hauled him over his shoulder. "She'll be home soon enough," he said, his voice void of emotion. Kendall didn't say anything as his father headed in the direction of his room, where he sat him down on his bed, and then turned around to leave._

 _"Aren't you gonna tuck me in like you always do?" he asked, swinging his legs on the edge of the bed._

 _The older man sighed and walked over to the little boy, kissing the top of his head. "Goodnight."_

 _"Goodnight, daddy," Kendall said with a smile as he snuggled up against the fuzzy blanket draped over him and hugged his stuffed moose to his chest._

 _Kendall's father did not smile back as he turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door shut behind him._

 _That night, it took Kendall a while to fall asleep. He couldn't stop worrying about how his mother wasn't home. And when he finally did fall asleep, he was awoken by a vivid nightmare and sprung out of bed and towards his parents' bedroom. Sobbing, he climbed onto the bed and shook his father, who seemed unfazed by the boy's behavior._

 _"D-daddy, can I sleep with you?" he asked once his father's eyes had shot open, but the older man only grumbled in response and pushed him back. "I-I had a nightmare," he hiccuped, tears falling down his face freely._

 _"Kendall, you're a big boy, you don't have to sleep with me," his father finally said, rolling his eyes at the toddler. "Just go back to sleep in your own bed."_

 _"B-but then the monsters will get me."_

 _"There are no monsters. Go to bed."_

 _"But daddy—"_

 _"_ Now! _"_

 _Frightened by the tone of anger in his father's voice, Kendall ran back to his room and closed his bedroom door. He then climbed back onto his bed and pulled his blanket over his body, until it was covering him from head to toe. He couldn't stop shaking or crying. All he wanted was for his mom to come back home and make everything okay, like she always did. His father had never spoken to him with that kind of tone before, and he didn't know what to think._

 _Little did he know, that was just the beginning of what was to come._

* * *

"He sexually abused me." Kendall stared straight ahead as he said those four words, grasping his bed sheets in both hands with a tight grip. It was the first time he had ever said that out loud, and he didn't know what had led him to say it, but he did know he couldn't look James, Carlos or Logan in the eye. "H-he didn't just physically and emotionally abuse me. He did way more than that."

James was the first to react and try to reach out towards him, since he was the one who was the closest. Carlos was just a few feet away, sitting on Logan's bed, and Logan was seated on the desk beside his mattress. However, as James' hand made contact with Kendall's arm, the blond flinched, making him pull away, despite desperately wanting to pull the smaller boy into his arms.

"Kendall..."

"Don't... don't say it. I know I'm damaged goods, you don't have to say it."

"That's not what I was going to say at all," James said softly, feeling tears prick at his eyes. "And you are not damaged goods. What happened does not decrease your value as a person."

"James is right," Carlos said as he stood up and took the few steps towards the blond, stopping in front of him. "We're not gonna think any less of you because of this. We're proud of you for telling us. I'm sure it's not something that is easy to talk about, but you did it, and that was really brave of you."

"Brave? You think I'm _brave_?" Kendall finally looked up, his eyes brimming with tears. "I'm not brave. I'm the furthest thing from brave. If I was brave, I would've told someone about what was going on. If I was brave, I wouldn't be as fucked up as I am now. I'm not brave, Carlos. I'm not."

"Kendall, you don't understand—"

"I don't understand?" Kendall asked, interrupting Logan. " _You_ don't understand. All three of you don't understand... _nobody_ understands."

"We're trying to," James said softly from where he sat. It broke his heart to see Kendall this upset – it broke all of their hearts, and what was even more upsetting was knowing that there was nothing they could do or say to make things any easier for him. All they could really do was be there for him.

"I know. I just... don't know what to think anymore. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. You've done nothing wrong." James reached for Kendall once more, and when he saw that he didn't flinch again, he placed an arm around the boy's shoulders, pulling him close to his side. It didn't take long for Kendall to turn in his hold and bury his face against the crook of the taller boy's neck, his tears dampening James' t-shirt. "It's okay, I've got you," he whispered, rubbing circles against Kendall's back. "It'll all be okay."

Only problem was, he didn't know if he could even believe the words he was saying.

* * *

 **Just wanted to mention this really quick, but there's a new challenge in the BTR Plot Adoption Forum, in case anyone's interested. It's an era challenge, so basically just a story that takes place in a different era. If anyone wants to participate, let me know. :)**

 **I hope you all liked this chapter, and if there's anything any of you would like to see in the future chapters, let me know. I usually have a lot of trouble with coming up with ideas for this story, so any suggestions/ideas would be really appreciated. :) Thank you for reading.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**So, it's been about eight months... I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update this story. I was really struggling with this chapter, but I'm really happy with how this turned out, and I hope you are too. I hope it makes up for how long it took. This chapter takes place where the last one left off. Also, during the flashback, which makes up most of the chapter, Katie is 6 and the boys are 12.**

 **Trigger warning for mentions of anxiety and physical and verbal abuse. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Can I be left alone for a bit?" Kendall mumbled as his eyes traveled around the room to look at each of his friends. Beside him, James stiffened, while Logan and Carlos looked at each other, and then back at him with worry.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Logan asked from where he was now sitting on his bed, next to Carlos.

"I just need to be alone for a bit, that's all."

"Kendall..." James started, shifting beside him. Kendall could feel him tighten his arms around him, as if he was afraid he would vanish if he were to let go.

"I'll be fine, I promise. I just... I need time to think, I guess."

James sighed and loosened his hold, allowing Kendall to slip away. He watched as Kendall scooted over the the top part of the bed, his back pressed against the wall. He had now pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around them, as he watched them, waiting for them to leave.

"We'll be just outside," James said softly as he stood, followed closely by Carlos and Logan. He took one last glance at the blond when he neared the entrance, and then followed the other two out the door.

Kendall watched them go before letting the tears fall. He was tired of everything. He felt like he was suffocating, not only because his father had come back, but also by all the attention the boys were giving him. While he appreciated how much they cared about him, he wasn't used to all the attention. He hated to worry them. He knew they worried because they cared about him, but it reminded him too much of the past. This whole incident reminded him of the past, and the past was not something he liked to think about. It made him feel hopeless and alone. Maybe he wasn't alone now, but at one point in his life, that's all he had felt.

For years, he had been forced to keep everything he was feeling and everything that was happening to him, a secret. He had suppressed it, and it had been killing him in the inside, but he couldn't tell anyone. He'd make up lies whenever anyone would get suspicious, all because he was afraid of what would happen if he were to tell anyone the truth. He knew what his father was capable of. He knew that if he went against what he said, he would regret it. He would end up getting even more hurt, or even worse, it would end up with someone he loved getting hurt, and he couldn't risk that.

Letting out a strangled breath, he sunk back against the mattress and reached for the blanket at his feet. He covered himself from head to toe, wishing the earth would just swallow him whole. He remembered how when he was really little, his mom would always tell him that as long as he hid under his blanket, the monsters wouldn't be able to get to him. At the time, he had believed it. But now that he was older, he knew it wasn't true.

Monsters weren't just figments of his imagination. They weren't just strange creatures found in nightmares when he was sleeping. They were real, and in his case, the monster he couldn't get away from was his own father. He was somebody who lived under the same roof as him for years. He was somebody no one would suspect of hurting him. His father was a good liar, and so was he, but they lied for different reasons. His father lied to hurt him. He would act like he cared when around other people, but once they were left alone, he would turn Kendall's life into a living nightmare. Kendall on the other hand, would lie to keep his loved ones safe. He knew that as long as he allowed his father to get away with whatever he wanted, he wouldn't hurt anyone else. He wouldn't hurt his mother or Katie, which was something Kendall was grateful for. He had wanted Katie. As he had told him on multiple occasions, he and his mother hadn't wanted a child at the time Kendall was born. He knew that at least half of that statement was true. He was a mistake in his father's eyes, and because of it, he had been forced to pay the price. At least, that's what he had been told.

As he laid there, in the darkness the blanket provided, he couldn't help but allow his mind to wander to the day his friends had found out about everything. It was the day his life had been completely turned upside down.

* * *

 _"Kendall, wake up! It's time for school!"_

 _Kendall groaned as he felt the weight of his little sister land on top of him, practically knocking the air out of his lungs. He turned over on his bed, only to be met by the sight of her smiling face._

 _"You're up!"_

 _"How can you be so cheery in the morning?" he questioned her as he lightly pushed her off of him and ruffled her hair affectionately._

 _The 6-year-old shrugged her shoulders before reaching for his arm and pulling him out of bed. Being a bit disoriented due to having barely woken up, he almost face-planted on the floor._

 _"Ugh, Katie, slow down! We're not in a hurry!" he exclaimed as he steadied himself. He stared at her, taking notice of the fact she was still in her pajamas. "You're not even dressed yet!"_

 _"Yeah, but if I didn't get you out of bed, you would've gone back to sleep."_

 _Kendall opened his mouth to disagree, but closed it a second later when he realized she was probably right. "Good point."_

 _"I know."_

 _Before Kendall could say anything else, Katie had walked out of the room, leaving him shaking his head in disbelief. "Get ready!" he yelled after her. "I'll be downstairs in like twenty minutes!"_

 _"Okay!"_

 _No sooner had she left, that his happy demeanor vanished. There was a sinking feeling in his chest that rarely ever went away. He was exhausted, not only physically but also emotionally. Though at the same time, he looked forward to school. School meant he could leave his house for a bit, and perhaps even forget about the troubles he dealt with at home, though that wasn't very easy to do. At least, not when he had an abusive father, who constantly hurt him and reminded him about how worthless he was in his eyes._

 _He sluggishly proceeded with his morning routine. By the time he was ready, he only had about ten minutes to spare before he and Katie had to head to school. His mom and dad worked early in the morning, so he had to walk Katie to school before he headed to his._

 _This morning, it was different, though. This morning, as he reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to walk into the kitchen, he found both Katie and his father at the table having breakfast. He could feel his skin crawl as he came to a stop in front of them, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He felt like he was going to be sick. The sight of his dad was enough to send chills running down his spine._

 _"Kendall, aren't you gonna have something to eat? You can't go to school on an empty stomach."_

As if you care _, Kendall thought, but he said nothing as he trudged into the kitchen, his gaze locked on the floor. He couldn't look his father in the eye. He knew that if he did, he'd most likely be sent into an anxiety attack, and he couldn't have that happen in front of Katie. It wouldn't be the first time it happened, though. Being around his father always caused his anxiety to skyrocket, but he always managed to hide it or act like he didn't know what had caused it._

 _His hands trembled as he reached for a bowl from one of the cupboards in the kitchen. He made sure to only pour a bit of cereal into it, having lost his appetite at the sight of his father._

 _When he reached the table, Katie stood up, mumbling something about having forgotten her homework upstairs, and left to get it. Kendall watched her go with a terrified expression on his face. He knew that his father wouldn't do or say anything in front of Katie, but now they were alone._

 _"So, I need you to do something for me," his father spoke, making Kendall freeze where he sat. "You are going to drop Katie off, alright? And after you do, you are to come back here."_

 _Kendall could only nod in response as Katie came running down the stairs. He knew better than to question him._

 _"Are you gonna take us to school, daddy?" Katie asked, smiling widely, but Mr. Knight shook his head at her._

 _"I'm afraid I'm already late for work, sweetheart. Kendall will take you. Right, son?"_

 _It was then that Katie looked up at Kendall, as if waiting for him to say something._

 _"Uh, yeah. Come on, baby sister." Kendall stood up on shaking legs and wrapped a protective arm around Katie's shoulders. They both said their goodbyes and rushed out the front door._

 _Throughout most of the walk to Katie's school, Kendall remained fairly quiet. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to pay attention to anything else. He was terrified of what his father would do. He could only assume it was something bad, and he didn't want to find out what it was. But he knew that he had no choice but to do as he had said, or else something even worse would happen._

 _When they reached Katie's school, Kendall pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Bye, baby sister," he said and faked a smile as he kept her at arm's length. "Have a good day at school. I love you."_

 _As soon as he let her go, she waved back at him and then ran into her classroom._

* * *

 _When he got home, his father was sitting on the couch, a beer bottle held in one hand. His father's attention was turned towards him as soon as he stepped foot inside the house. He sneered as he stood and made his way towards Kendall. The blond's first instinct was to run, and that's exactly what he did. He ran up the stairs and towards his room, but he could hear footsteps following close by._

 _He was almost to his room, when he suddenly felt like he was being pulled backwards. His body collided with his father's, making him freeze in fear._

 _"What have I told you about trying to run away from me?" the older man asked as he grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him off the ground with ease. "You're such a coward," he spat before pulling Kendall towards his room and throwing him on the ground._

 _Kendall tried to get up, but he was knocked to the ground once more when his father kicked him in the stomach. He had no chance to catch his breath as he was pinned to the floor, his father looming over him. The grin on his face sent chills running through Kendall's body. No matter how many times his father put a hand on him, he could never get used to it. He could never get used to the pain he would bring him._

 _"Just stop." He could feel the tears already building in his eyes, but he couldn't let them fall. He was tired of showing weakness around his father. He was tired of it all. "Just leave me alone."_

 _"Don't you get it?" His father chuckled humorlessly, his hand winding around Kendall's throat. "We never wanted you," he said, his hold tightening._

 _Kendall would have been lying if he said that hearing those words didn't hurt. They always did. If anything, the things his father would say to him hurt more than any punch ever would. He was angry, though. He was sick of letting his father get away with it all. For the first time ever, he decided that enough was enough. He couldn't do this anymore._

 _He tried fighting back, until all his energy was spent. By the time he could no longer fight back, he was sure he had more than a couple of broken ribs, a black eye, and his bottom lip was split and bleeding. Fighting back had been useless; he was no match against the older man. No matter how hard he tried, he could never win. He never had before, he wasn't sure why he had even tried._

 _"Come on, you're coming with me."_

 _Kendall cried out as he was suddenly hauled off the ground and thrown over his father's shoulder. The action did nothing to subside the pain in his ribs. His father didn't seem to be bothered by it, not that Kendall expect him to be. It was obvious to Kendall by now that he didn't care at all about the pain he brought him._

 _He couldn't remember much after that. He could only assume that his father had done something to knock him out, because when he woke up, he was no longer home – he was in the hospital._

* * *

 _"Kendall?! Kendall, are you awake?" That was the first thing he heard as his eyes cracked open, but he couldn't tell who it was that had spoken. The hospital room's lights were so bright that he was forced to close his eyes not even a second after he had opened them. He could feel a hand holding onto his tightly and the presence of someone beside him, but he was too tired and drugged up on medication to make out who it was that was in the room with him._

 _He struggled to move his head to the side and open his eyes again. The face he saw when he was finally able to keep them open belonged to Logan._

 _"W-what—"_

 _"You're in the hospital," Logan said carefully, not wanting to startle him. "We, uh, found you unconscious on the side of a street. You were... not in the best condition."_

 _"Oh."_

 _"I'd ask what happened, but you just woke up. I don't want to overwhelm you," Logan said, his eyes moving to the crisp white blanket covering Kendall. "How are you feeling?"_

 _"Like I got hit by a truck," Kendall responded honestly._

 _The hold Logan had on his hand tightened as he looked him in the eye, tears starting to spill down his cheeks. "I was so scared, Kendall. I thought you were dead," he said, whispering the last sentence._

I wish I was _, Kendall thought, but he forced a smile for Logan's sake and squeezed his hand in an attempt to comfort him. "I wouldn't leave you that easily," he whispered, feeling choked up all of a sudden. Seeing Logan like this was making him want to cry, too. "I'm sorry, Logie. I didn't mean to scare you."_

 _Logan chuckled, but it was a humorless chuckle. "You shouldn't be apologizing, you did nothing wrong. I'm just so glad you woke up... The doctors didn't know if you would." He paused and sucked in a breath before continuing. "Apparently whoever did this to you, beat you up so badly that you were practically almost dead when we found you. They-they lost you on the way to the hospital. It was only for a few seconds, but... you could've died."_

 _"But I'm here," Kendall said softly. He reached up with his hand, cupping it around Logan's face. "I'm alive," he whispered. "I'm okay, and I'm not going anywhere."_

* * *

 **I wanted to write about what happened to Kendall the day the guys found out about what his dad was doing to him. Technically, they didn't officially find out until the next day, when Kendall woke up, but it's what led up to it. I know I had written a chapter from their point of view, so I thought it'd be a good idea to write one from his point of view.**

 **Thank you for reading, I hope you liked the chapter. I promise the next one won't take as long.**

 **~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


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